POLITICS: Sharon Survives 2 No Confidence Votes, Pledges To Bring Withdraw Vote in 2 Weeks, page 1

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon survived 2 no confidence votes that would have toppled his coalition government. However, he lost a vote in regards to his statement defending his planned Gaza pullout. The issues came up yesterday during the opening of the Knesset�s winter session. Despite heckling from right wing and hard-line members,

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JERUSALEM - The Israeli parliament gave a symbolic slap to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, voting against a statement defending his Gaza pullout plan, but he survived two no-confidence motions and pledged to bring the withdrawal itself to a vote in two weeks.

The maneuvering came Monday at the opening of the winter session of the Knesset, Israel"s parliament, with Sharon heading a government that lost its majority over the Gaza pullout and is vulnerable to being toppled.

Sharon told the noisy parliament that he would present the pullout plan for approval on Oct. 25, and then he would bring a bill for compensating the 8,500 settlers to be evacuated.

The evacuation is to begin in summer 2005 and last about 12 weeks, according to a government timetable, but Sharon"s government might not survive that long.

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Sharon presented his pullout plan that would as he put it �return the diplomatic initiative to Israel�. Several hard-line groups are opposed to any withdrawal of the settlements. Sharon promised that the pullout would be under �constant supervision� and that the door was open to returning if the security situation changes. Several lawmakers indicated that there are deep ideological disagreements over the "unilateral disengagement", and that Sharon was unlikely to finish his term.