4:41pm UK, Monday May 03, 2004

Israel's embattled Prime Minister has survived a no confidence vote after his party rejected a Gaza pull-out plan.

Ariel Sharon easily defeated the vote which came after his Likud party had turned down proposals for the Gaza.

Sharon: Vote lost

Groups within the Israeli parliament had been seeking to take advantage over unrest withthin the Prime Minister's party, but lost their bid by 62 votes to 46.

Earlier, a colleague of Mr Sharon said the leader may still modify his plan to get it through.

Vice Premier Ehud Olmert said: "The Prime Minister said 'We have to put together a plan, perhaps not an identical one, in order to continue forward'."

Expressing regret after media exit polls indicated the party had overwhelmingly voted against the plan, Sharon said he intended to stay in office and nlead Israel".

His plan was overwhelmingly rejected by his party - 59.5% of Likud members voted against it.

Only 39.7% voted in favour.

Turnout was low with apparently fewer than half the 193,000 Likud members voting.

Analysts said the "no" vote was increased by the earlier Palestinian shooting in which a pregnant settler and her four daughters were killed.

Mr Sharon will now put the scheme - supposed to be a breakthrough in the peace process - to his cabinet and to the Israeli parliament. If he fails he may be forced to resign.

The plan would see all Jewish settlements moved out of the Gaza Strip.

Critics said Mr Sharon made a tactical mistake in bowing to pressure to put the vote to his pro-settler party. He is also accused of poor planning and over-confidence.

Mr Sharon had originally said he would regard the outcome of the party referendum as binding.

But in recent days he has insisted he was not legally obliged by the outcome.

The leader also wants to keep all but four Jewish settlements in the West Bank permanently.

That idea has sparked fury among Palestinians - but has been controversially backed by President Bush.