TEL AVIV, Israel - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told jeering leaders of his Likud Party yesterday that Israel will have to dismantle Jewish settlements as part of any peace deal and he was prepared to act despite their opposition.
Sharon's speech was his first appearance before his party's hard-line central committee since he unveiled his plan last month to dismantle some settlements and unilaterally draw a boundary with the Palestinians if peace efforts remain stalled. He refused to back down yesterday, despite a hail of boos from infuriated committee members who reject a Palestinian state and oppose any removal of settlements.
Critics remain skeptical of Sharon's seeming conversion from one of the great patrons of the settlement movement to a leader willing to make significant territorial concessions.
Though his rhetoric has changed, he has done little to fulfill his obligations under the U.S.-backed road map peace plan. Many accuse him of trying to placate the Americans with pragmatic-sounding pronouncements while playing for time in the belief the Palestinians will torpedo any progress before he has to act.
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