Members of his own Likud party who opposed the Gaza pullout, saying it would encourage Palestinian attacks, have threatened to vote against new cabinet nominations, potentially embarrassing Sharon or even pushing him toward early elections. “It’s time to stop the bickering, the protesting and the struggles and try to unite the Likud, despite the differences in views,” the prime minister told party deputies late on Sunday in an attempt to secure their support.

Israeli analysts say parliament is expected to vote against the nominations by a slim majority that would include some Likud members, in what they said would be a political embarrassment for Sharon that would not jeopardize his leadership directly.

He told Likud legislators that he “had no patience” for more internal turmoil and has said he would bring the nominations before parliament for another ballot in several weeks. Sharon turned Israeli politics on its head with his struggle to pass the Gaza plan, losing some old rightist allies and allying with center-left Labour for the first withdrawal from settlers from land Palestinians want for a state.

Alliances could shift again following the final evacuation of troops from Gaza last month. Reconvening after a holiday break, the Knesset is expected to vote on Sharon’s nominations to three ministerial posts opened up by the departure of Likud “rebels”. Sharon is expected to address the session at about 4 p.m.

Some critics of the pullout have said they will oppose the cabinet appointments, which include Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to replace Sharon’s rival Benjamin Netanyahu, who resigned as finance minister in protest over the withdrawal. The others nominations are for Sharon allies Zeev Boim as immigration minister and Roni Bar-On as trade minister.

Gaza pullout

Sharon is uncertain of being able to count on support from the Labour party, which angry that it did not get any of the new posts itself and wants to push for higher welfare spending in the 2006 budget. Israeli newspapers suggested Sharon could resign or call early elections if his nominations were defeated, but aides said there was no plan for either. Opponents of the Gaza withdrawal argued that it would reward Palestinian militants waging an uprising since 2000 as well as giving up land captured in the 1967 war that settlers called a biblical birthright.

In spite of US optimism that the pullout would be a step toward renewed peacemaking, hopes are on hold after the worst week of bloodshed since the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a corner of the West Bank. On Sunday, Israeli troops shot dead three militants in the West Bank from the Islamic Jihad faction that killed five Israelis in a suicide bombing last Wednesday, the Israeli army said. Soldiers arrested six other suspects in overnight raids.

Islamic Jihad said it reserved the right to avenge the killings, hours after it had agreed to halt rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip that had drawn Israeli strikes in which nine Palestinians, mostly militants, were killed last week. Islamic Jihad, dedicated to destroying Israel, has said its rocket fire and the suicide bombing were to avenge Israel’s killing of a commander in the West Bank a week ago. Sharon has emphasized that he has no intention of giving up major settlement blocs in the West Bank, which house many times more settlers than those in the Gaza Strip. Palestinians want both territories for an eventual state.

Corinne HELLER