PA: Sharon plan will turn Gaza into large prison

RAMALLAH, West Bank - The Palestinian leadership, following a meeting chaired by Yasser Arafat, said Monday that Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip would turn the territory into a "large prison.

"The planned withdrawal will transform the Gaza Strip into a large prison as Israel will retain control of the territorial waters, the air space and the border crossing points," the leadership said in a statement after the meeting here.

As part of a package of unilateral measures termed the disengagement plan, Sharon is planning to evacuate all the Jewish settlements in Gaza.

But it will retain control over the border with Egypt around the southern Gaza town of Rafah and the Palestinians will not be allowed to reopen Gaza's international airport or open any ports.

The leadership said that Sharon's plan ran in violation of UN "resolutions and international law" and was designed to prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations between the two sides.

"The withdrawal from Gaza should be a proper withdrawal and not just a facade. It must be accompanied by a withdrawal from the West Bank as part of the framework of the roadmap and not as a substitute," Arafat was quoted as saying in the meeting.

Sharon has said he has no option but to implement unilateral measures in the absence of any progress in the bilaterally agreed roadmap which aims for the creation of a Palestinian state by next year.

While willing to evacuate the Jewish residents of Gaza, Sharon has made clear that he intends to keep control of blocs of settlements in the West Bank.

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