TEL AVIV, Israel, March 28 (UPI) -- Israel's Knesset Monday defeated a bill allowing a referendum on the pullout from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank.
The vote was 72 against, 39 in favor and three abstentions. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and some ministers voted against the motion while hardliners including Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu voted for it. The Likud Knesset members were also split.
The referendum's supporters argued Sharon was elected on a ticket opposing a large-scale pullback and a referendum was needed to give the move legitimacy and prevent clashes with its opponents.
Opponents argued the Knesset decided on the withdrawal, public opinion polls show the public at large favors the pullback and the referendum is merely designed to delay and disrupt its implementation.
The withdrawal is planned for this summer.
