The Israeli Prime Minister has indicated that he would prefer not to go through with a plan to demolish homes vacated by Jewish settlers when Israel withdraws from the occupied Gaza Strip this summer.
However, Ariel Sharon said the 21 Gaza settlements would be left intact on the condition of their orderly handover to the Palestinian Authority.
The Palestinian Authority has not yet made clear what it will do with the properties.
Mr Sharon originally proposed the pullout from areas in the Gaza Strip, saying that Israel had no chance of keeping them in any final peace deal.
