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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon fired two rebel National Union ministers Friday in a bid to ensure that his revised plan of pullout from the Gaza Strip will be passed in the cabinet.
Israeli Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon was informing cabinet ministers Friday morning that Sharon was firing Transport Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Tourism Minister Benny Eilon of the far-right National Union Party, Israel Radio reported.
Sharon had summoned to his office the two ministers to give the dismissal notices. The dismissal came ahead of a crucial cabinet vote on his Gaza pullout plan on Sunday.
Sharon did not wait for the ministers to come to the meetings he had invited them for Friday, deciding instead to send letters to their homes informing the dismissal. The dismissal of a minister comes into effect 48 hours after a letter has been given.
After all the ministers have been contacted, Lieberman and Elonwill receive the letters officially firing them.
Lieberman said Friday that he was "proud" to receive a letter of dismissal from Sharon.
"I'm not embarrassed," he told Israel Radio on Friday. "I will go to receive the letter firing me."
Elon said he did not intend to take part in the "psychological warfare" being waged by the Prime Minister's Office so as to get the plan passed.
Before their dismissal, 12 cabinet ministers oppose the pullout plan and 11 support it. By the sacking of the two ministers, Sharon can create a one-vote majority on his plan in the cabinet.
Under the pullout plan, all 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and four small and isolated settlements in the West Bank will be evacuated. Sharon wants to trade the small Gaza settlements for control of the main settlements in the West Bank, where most of the 230,000 Jewish settlers live.
(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2004)
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