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Israel to ask US to fund Gaza pullout

JERUSALEM: Israel will ask Washington for hundreds of millions of dollars to help foot the bill for next month’s US$2 billion evacuation of the Gaza Strip and four northern West Bank settlements, a senior Israeli official said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the government is considering declaring Gaza settlements off-limits to nonresidents to thwart an attempt by settlers to sabotage the evacuation by flooding the area with protesters, an aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview with the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that he and Sharon might hold a summit before the pullout, set to begin in mid-August. They last met in June, but failed to resolve several major issues, raising doubts as to whether they could work together on the evacuation.

On Tuesday, the main settlers’ group called on its followers to migrate en masse to the Gaza settlements on July 18. Sharon aide Raanan Gissin said the government was considering sealing the area before the march, and that Sharon, Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz and Internal Security Minister Gideon Ezra would have final say. ap

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