Sharon, top brass at odds over 'unilateral pullout'

The newspaper said Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon argued that dismantling isolated settlements in the Gaza Strip would be tantamount to rewarding terror.

"Yaalon has expressed reservations in private talks about proposals to unilaterally evacuate the Netzarim settlement in the Gaza Strip," Haaretz wrote.

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Speaking to Israeli reporters on Thursday, Sharon scolded Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei for failing to take action against militant groups.

"I am not in favour of an arbitrary timetable, but our patience has limits. I may reach the conclusion that there is no reason to wait for another Palestinian government and another one, and I may take unilateral measures," he said.

According to Israeli political sources, Sharon could evacute isolated Gaza settlements, while at the same time annexing large urban settlements near Jerusalem.

The proposition has also divided his coalition government, with the centre-right Shinui party threatening to walk out if Sharon does not dismantle isolated settlements and the ultra-nationalist fringe promising to do the same if he does.

Yaalon had already voiced his opposition to Sharon's policies towards the Palestinians earlier this month, warning that Israel could face of new wave of attacks if restrictions on civilians were not eased.

Meanwhile, top US Middle East envoy William Burns was due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Sunday as part of efforts to restart the stalled Middle East peace process.

Burns held talks Saturday in the Jordanian capital Amman with Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei at which he stressed that US President George W. Bush remained committed to the flagging internationally-backed peace "roadmap," which has been battered by continued Israeli settlement building and the refusal of Palestinian armed groups to agree to a truce.

"Both sides have obligations and responsibilities as they seek to renew hope for peace," said a statement from the US embassy in Amman after the talks.