Israeli parliament vote on settlements evacuation issue postponed

Jerusalem (dpa) - An Israeli parliament vote scheduled on a bill to delay the evacuation of Jewish settlements was postponed Wednesday after the bill's backers withdrew the motion, Israeli radio reported.

The radio said the vote was postponed for two weeks after the backer of the bill, parliamentary deputy Swulun Orlev of the National Religious Party, withdrew it because of a lack of support.

Orlev was seeking to delay the evacuation of 25 Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip and West Bank, now scheduled to start around mid-August, by three months.

Further details of the vote postponement decision were not immediately available. dpa le ds ch