Israeli minister quits over Gaza pull-out

Natan Sharansky, a former Soviet dissident turned Israeli hard-liner, said territory must not be handed over to the Palestinians without getting anything in return.

Mr Sharansky is a favourite of George Bush, the US president, who cites him as an inspiration in his campaign for worldwide democracy, and his resignation will put further strain on the tentative truce between Israel and the Palestinians.

His decision to step down came as an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian were killed in a gun battle in the West Bank. The soldier was the first to be killed since the ceasefire was agreed in February.

The peace process was put under further strain by the decision of Israel’s cabinet to recommend that a settler college in the West Bank should be given university status - a move aimed at strengthening settlements there.

In his resignation letter, Mr Sharansky said he believed the decision to withdraw settlers from Gaza was flawed. "As you know, I was opposed to the disengagement plan from the outset, on the basis of my deep belief that every concession in the peace process made by the Israeli side must be accompanied by democratic reform on the Palestinian side," he said.

Speaking later, he said the plan was "a tragic mistake that exacts a high price and also encourages terror".

Mr Sharansky, who served nine years in a Soviet prison for his efforts on behalf of fellow Jews, caught Mr Bush’s attention with his book, The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror.

The US president said he read it every night and he invited Mr Sharansky to the White House in November to discuss it.

Mr Sharansky captured the imaginations of many around the world as a human rights activist. But after his arrival in Israel in 1986, he failed to turn his international reputation into political power. He was unable to master fluent Hebrew, and native-born Israelis did not warm to him.

Explaining his resignation, Mr Sharansky explained that he did back withdrawing from the West Bank and Gaza, but "the extent of withdrawal must be proportional to the extent of democracy on the other side".

Though the Palestinians have held a presidential election to replace the late Yasser Arafat, as well as local elections, and have set a parliamentary election for the summer, Mr Sharansky insisted that was not enough.

"Elections are only a step," he said. "Democracy is first of all establishing institutions, a free economy, dismantling refugee camps, liberal education.

"If we are concerned about human rights, let’s see to it that the Palestinians are free, and then we will have security."

The Palestinians say they are engaged in a process of reforms and reject the right of Israelis to dictate their pace or content. They insist Israel should withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza unconditionally.

Mr Sharansky drew a parallel between his years in the Soviet gulag and Israeli politics. "In order to fight for your ideals, you are sometimes ready to go prison, you are sometimes ready to go into politics, and you also have to be ready to conclude this phase and to look forward," he said.

He added that he would remain active in Mr Sharon’s ruling Likud party, which has been deeply split over the Gaza withdrawal, with many MPs and activists opposed to the plan. "We now have a very strong position within Likud," he said.

Mr Sharansky did not attend yesterday’s weekly cabinet meeting.

In a statement, Mr Sharon said he regretted his decision to quit but did not indicate that he would try to persuade him to stay on. The resignation takes effect from tomorrow.

In what could be a concession to Likud supporters of the settlers, the cabinet recommended upgrading a West Bank settler college to a university. Ariel, home to the 8,000-student College of Judea and Samaria, is among the largest Jewish settlements and cuts deep into the territory that Palestinians want for a state.

The university plan was condemned by Palestinians, but Mr Sharon said it was "consistent with government policy that sees one of its goals as strengthening settlement blocs".

Israel plans to withdraw all settlers from Gaza and four of the 120 settlements in the West Bank this summer, but Mr Sharon says there is no question of giving up major Jewish enclaves in the latter.

Palestinians fear the Gaza pull-out is no more than a cover for strengthening Israel’s hold on the West Bank and denying them a viable state.

Ghassan al-Khatib, a Palestinian cabinet minister, said the decision to upgrade the college was a dangerous step at a time when the ceasefire had buoyed hopes for a renewal of peace negotiations. "It will have negative consequences," he said.

The Israeli soldier who died had been in a shoot-out with a Palestinian wanted in connection with organising a suicide bomb attack in Tel Aviv. He was also killed.

Israeli and Palestinian leaders traded accusations over the shooting, in the village of Saideh, the latest in a series of violent incidents, including Palestinian mortar fire and Israeli arrest raids.