(2 May 2004)
APTN
Sderot, Israel, 02 May 2004
1. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon entering room
2. Sharon registering to vote
3. Various of Sharon voting
4. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Ariel Sharon, Israeli Prime Minister:
"I want to say, everything is open. Every vote is decisive. Go and vote for me. Thank you."
5. Sharon leaving
Raanana, north of Tel Aviv, 02 May 2004
6. Landau speaking to voters
7. Various of Uzi Landau voting
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Uzi Landau, Israeli Minister and main opponent to Sharon''s disengagement plan:
"The basic issues is whether or not we are going to vote for the disengagement which is basically yes to establishing a mini terror state headed by Hamas in Gaza, or voting no, Which is going to be against terror and for peace and doing whatever possible to really find on the other side those partners that can negotiate with us properly."
9. Landau shaking hands with voter
APTN
Ramallah
10. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia walking out of building
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ahmed Qureia, Palestinian Prime Minister:
"What concerns us is preserving the rights of our people. And the right of return, self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital - this is our concern. Whether it will win or not, whatever it is this is an Israeli decision. But our decision is to keep our rights and to have support for (its) achievement."
12. Qureia getting into car
STORYLINE:
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon''s Likud Party voted on Sunday on his plan to pull out of the troubled Gaza strip.
By 8 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Sunday, only 34 percent of 193-thousand Likud members had voted.
A Gaza attack which killed a pregnant Jewish settler and her four daughters on Sunday and the low turnout were expected to help opponents of a withdrawal, part of Sharon''s plan of "unilateral disengagement" from the Palestinians.
Recent polls have given opponents a lead of several percentage points.
A loss for Sharon would produce a major political crisis, including a possible Cabinet reshuffle, a split in Likud or even early elections.
Sharon aides said he would likely push through with the plan regardless.
Israeli cabinet minister Uzi Landau, who has led the opposition, said that accepting the plan would lead to more terror attacks.
Although Sharon proposes an unprecedented removal of Jewish settlements from land claimed by the Palestinians, the unilateral plan has been greeted with suspicion by Palestinian officials who chafe at being sidelined and see it as a means of cementing Israel''s hold on the larger and more historically significant West Bank.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia, told reporters "whatever it is, this is an Israeli decision" adding the most important issue for him is preserving the rights of Palestinian people - "the right of return, self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital - this is our concern".
The shooting attack targeted Tali Hatuel, 34, eight months pregnant, who was driving with her four young daughters, ages two to 11, from the Gush Katif block of settlements in Gaza toward Israel.
The Hatuel family was from Gush Katif, a bloc of settlements.
In all, there are 21 settlements with 7,500 Jews living amid the 1.3 (m) million Palestinians in the narrow, 40-kilometre (25-mile) long seaside strip.
More than 220-thousand settlers also live in about 150 settlements in the West Bank alongside almost three (m) million Palestinians.
Sharon proposes to dismantle four small West Bank settlements.
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