Sharon Drops Bombshell: Gaza Settlements to Go

In excerpts from the interview, Sharon said his plan "has to be done with American agreement and support."

"We are talking of a population of 7,500 people. It's not a simple matter. We are talking of thousands of square kilometers (miles) of hothouses, factories and packing plants," he said.

"The first thing is to ask their agreement, to reach an agreement with the residents... it's not a quick matter, especially if it's done under fire," he added.

Sharon had spoken in recent months only in vague terms about removing some of the more isolated settlements under a disengagement plan he has threatened to impose on the Palestinians should the "road map" fail.

He has made clear, however, that such an arrangement would leave Palestinians with less land than they seek for a state.

A Gaza settler spokesman called Sharon's comments "miserable" and vowed that the nationalist camp would work "to cut short Sharon's term as prime minister through legal means."

In violence early Monday, a Palestinian militant who lost his legs and an arm to an Israeli tank shell a year ago battled soldiers who came to arrest him in a Gaza Strip raid that ended with him being killed along with three other gunmen.

Some 10,000 mourners, including dozens of gunmen firing into the air, later marched in funeral processions for the four gunmen. "Sharon, prepare body bags. Blood for blood," the crowd chanted.