Sharon hints at uprooting settlements

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon signalled on Sunday he might uproot some isolated Jewish settlements on occupied land and then set Israeli-drawn borders for a Palestinian state if a US-backed peace plan failed.

Palestinians voiced suspicion of what Israeli media dubbed the ‘‘Sharon Plan’’ ahead of a meeting between the Right-wing leader and Palestinian PM Ahmed Qurie on reviving the peace ‘‘road map’’. Israeli media described the plan by the long-time champion of settlements not so much a peace gesture but a possible bid to determine the borders of a Palestinian state delineated by an Israeli barrier.

‘‘I have been thinking about unilateral steps that would ease things for Israel and protect its interests, without addressing the question of whether they are also good for the Palestinians,’’ Sharon told the Yedioth Ahronoth daily. ‘‘I have not yet brought anyone into my confidence about it,’’ said Sharon.(Reuters)