The Israeli cabinet’s been meeting to discuss Ariel Sharon’s Gaza pullout next month. It comes amid government fears that half of the Jewish settlers slated for evacuation will stay put rather than agree to relocation.

Some 9,000 settlers are due to leave Gaza and a corner of the West Bank under the Prime Minister’s plan to “disengage” Israel from fighting with the Palestinians. Following a call from settler leaders, thousands of ultranationalist protesters are expected to march on Sderot on Tuesday – a town that has been the target of militants’ rockets. Nevertheless, the government maintains there has been a rise in the number of settlers applying for relocation packages.

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