Israeli Supreme Court shortens Sharon's term by 1 year

JERUSALEM -- Israel's Supreme Court yesterday shortened Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's term by a year in an election ruling that could further weaken his minority government and complicate a planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.

The court said elections must be held by November 2006, arguing that the original November 2007 date was based on a mistaken interpretation of electoral law.

Also yesterday, seven Palestinians and an Israeli commando were killed in clashes in the West Bank and Gaza.

In Nablus, a militant with the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades was killed in an explosion, witnesses said. Israeli military officials said the army was not involved in the blast and apparently the gunman had been preparing a bomb to be used against Israel.

Israel's police minister, meanwhile, delivered the starkest warning yet about violence over the pullback, saying he believes Jewish extremists are plotting to assassinate leading politicians to stop the dismantling of settlements.

''They [extremists] will assassinate the prime minister, a minister, an army official, or a police official," Tsahi Hanegbi, the police minister, told Israel TV's Channel Two.

''They don't always succeed, and they don't always have the means to carry out the acts. But we are not lacking extremists."

It was not clear whether Hanegbi had concrete information. He said he was coming to the defense of the Shin Bet security chief who had set off a political storm this week by saying he was concerned about growing militancy among hard-line settlers.

The threat of such violence strikes a deep chord in Israel. Many politicians and security officials still blame themselves for ignoring the warning signs ahead of the 1995 assassination of then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by an ultranationalist Jew.

The high court ruling yesterday on the election date added to the growing political uncertainty. Last month, Sharon lost his parliamentary majority over the withdrawal plan when hard-liners quit or were fired from the coalition.

Commentators said early elections are likely in coming months unless Sharon manages to stabilize his coalition by bringing in the opposition Labor Party.

The court ruling, however, made it less attractive for Labor to join the government, because it would be in power for a much shorter period. Labor, which supports a Gaza withdrawal, has been sending conflicting signals, indicating it is ready to negotiate with Sharon but also harshly criticizing his economic policies.

Sharon has pledged to carry out his withdrawal from Gaza by the end of 2005, but continuing Gaza violence or political maneuvering could delay that plan.

Elections were last held in February 2003.

In recent years, Israeli governments have collapsed well before their four-year terms expired, mainly because of the deep divisions in Israel over how to solve the conflict with the Palestinians.

Israel has had four general elections since 1996, three for Parliament and one special election for prime minister.