JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to remove some Jewish settlements from the West Bank and Gaza Strip next summer to pave the way for a Palestinian state, an Israeli TV station reported yesterday.
Government officials would not comment on Israeli Channel 2’s report that “Sharon is once again poring over maps and planning” to evacuate some settlements, possibly moving settlers to desert regions in southern Israel.
The number of settlements to be evacuated was not cited, and one Israeli source said the discussions concerned only Gaza.
Israeli sources said Sharon may give a major speech about his plans in the next month – if Ahmed Qureia, the new Palestinian prime minister, dismantles the terrorist infrastructure.
The sources suggested Sharon’s intentions were leaked to the TV station as a message to Qureia that the Israeli prime minister is serious about removing the settlements.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bloomberg heads to Israel tomorrow, where he will meet up with his 94-year-old mother, Charlotte, to dedicate the wing of a Jerusalem hospital in her name.