The Israeli parliament (Knesset) on Wednesday approved the first of three readings of a bill on compensating Jewish settlers who will be forced to evacuate their homes in the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank.
Sixty-four members of the Knesset (MPs) voted for the bill, 44 voted against and nine abstained. Most Likud rebels voted against the bill.
Under the disengagement plan, Israel is to completely evacuate the Gaza Strip and four small settlements in the northern West Bank by the end of 2005.
The legislation gives Prime Minister Ariel Sharon the authority to issue a decree setting a deadline for the pullout after the cabinet decides on the evacuation of the settlements.
The government has set March 1 as the deadline for the Knesset to pass the law.
The government is budgeting US$0.5 billion for the implementation of the disengagement, but costs are expected to rise to as high as 1.1 billion.
The financing for the evacuation was removed from the 2005 state budget and the evacuation costs are to be financed next year by expanding the budget deficit by 0.4 percent.
Settlers are to receive an average compensation of US$300,000 with an extra US$30,000 bonus for those who settle in the Negev or Galilee.
Farmers are also to be entitled to alternative land in those areas and compensation for the value of their businesses.