Sharon Suffers a Party Setback on His Gaza Plan
By GREG MYRE and ELISSA GOOTMAN
Published: May 3, 2004
JERUSALEM, Monday, May 3 — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has received a stinging setback from his rightist Likud Party, which soundly rejected his proposal to withdraw Israeli soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip, according to results announced early Monday. The vote by party members was nonbinding, but it cast doubts on the plan's future as well as on the stability of Mr. Sharon's government.