TEL AVIV [MENL] — Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has drafted a plan for a withdrawal from virtually all of the West Bank by 2008. Political sources said Sharon has begun briefing senior U.S. officials of his intention to withdraw unilaterally from more than 95 percent of the West Bank. They said Sharon, who quit the ruling Likud Party on Nov. 21, would seek a U.S. and international security presence in the area as well as a commitment for the dismantling of Palestinian insurgency groups. “His decision [to quit the Likud] stems from his desire to bring the state of Israel to permanent borders during his term of office,” Eli Landau, a longtime confidante of Sharon, said. “He knows that this step will be a dramatic one.”

The sources said Sharon’s plan was based on an assessment that the Palestinian Authority was not prepared to sign a formal peace agreement with Israel. They said that under this scenario Sharon would order a unilateral withdrawal from more than 90 percent of the West Bank, but retain control over air space.

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