Jerusalem: In a landmark vote, the Israeli Parliament - Knesset - has approved Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's controversial disengagement plan to evacuate Gaza Strip and four isolated settlements in the West Bank even as senior Likud party Ministers, including Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to resign if the plan was not put to a national referendum.

The plan was passed by a majority of 67-45 last evening (Oct 26, 2004) in the 120- member house with seven lawmakers abstaining in the vote and one being absent due to illness.

Prime Minister's arch-rival in the Likud party, Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who voted in favour of the plan along with other Ministers who were threatening to abstain, later said that he will quit the Government unless Sharon calls for a referendum on the pullout plan within 14 days.

"We...have decided to give the Prime Minister two weeks to announce a referendum, and if not, we will not be able to see ourselves as staying in this Government," Netanyahu told reporters in Parliament, minutes after legislators approved Sharon's Gaza withdrawal plan.

Education Minister Limor Livnat, Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz and Health Minister Danny Naveh also said they would resign if no referendum was held.

They were all absent from the first round of voting and walked into the plenum while the initial results were being read. However, they were given the opportunity to vote and they all voted in favour of the withdrawal.

Seventeen Likud members voted against the plan and 23 in favour.

Netanyahu told reporters that the group of Ministers does not want to topple anyone, but only wants to give a chance to unity within the Likud party.

Livnat also reiterated the point saying that she only hopes the Prime Minister will accept the plea for a referendum, which is shared by most Likud lawmakers.

"I believe that the Prime Minister will go for a referendum and we can all do the right thing, if not, we have to say enough, is enough," she said.

Earlier yesterday, Social Affairs Minister Zevulun Orlev of the National Religious Party (NRP) announced that his party would quit the Government, unless Sharon decides to hold a referendum on his disengagement plan.

The party also gave Sharon 14 days to make a decision on the nationwide poll.

Orlev's announcement came after he met with the Netanyahu led group to work out a deal to keep the NRP in the Government.

All the six lawmakers of NRP voted against the plan.

The NRP leader told reporters that he had assured Sharon that the party would remain in the coalition until the next general elections (currently set for 2006), whatever the results of the referendum.

Sharon had earlier brushed aside the demand saying that it would derail the time-table set by him for evacuation and also because anyway the opponents won't abide by the result of the referendum.

The Yesha Council of Settlements, which regulates the settlement movement, also had signed the NRP's pledge.