A headline in the center-left daily Haaretz read "PM launched last-ditch bid to win vote" as it referred to a late Thursday meeting of Sharon and close aides during which he underlined his intention to win the referendum.

The paper said that, in a televised interview to be broadcast Friday night, Sharon will say it will be difficult to run the country if he is disavowed by his party.

"It is meant as a warning, if not an outright threat, to Likud members that his defeat would endanger the party's hold on government," wrote Haaretz, brushing off Sharon's intent to resign.

Sharon has so far said the referendum would not be politically binding.

Four polls published Friday unequivocally gave the plan's opponents a projected victory on Sunday.

A Haaretz poll showed 43 percent of the respondents oppose the plan, with 36 percent approving it and the remainder having no firm opinion.

A poll in the mass-circulation Maariv gave 45 percent of members against the plan, 42 percent for it and 13 percent undecided.

Israel's top selling Yediot Aharonot's poll showed 47 percent of the 193,000 Likud members hostile to their party leader's plan, 40.5 percent in favor of it and 12.5 without a clear opinion.

Paradoxically, national opinion polls have steadily shown that a majority of Israelis are in favor of the plan.

Yediot journalist Nehama Duek pointed out that despite Likud's apparent intention not to support the evacuation plan, the premier's popularity continued to be high among Likud members and the Israeli public at large.

That might indicate that the final results could still be in his favor.

The Friday Yediot poll also sounded out party members for their opinion of Sharon as a prime minister rather than party leader, showing that 83 percent believe he is good or even very good.

The paper said that among the general public, the prime minister's performance is deemed satisfactory by 63 percent.

Under tight security, the 193,000 Likud members will be asked to vote for or against Sharon's plan to unilaterally disengage from the Palestinians whom the hawkish premier claims are incapable of working towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

The move, slated for completion by the end of 2005, will see the dismantlement of 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and four others in the West Bank.

In turn, Sharon suggested Jewish presence would be reinforced in existing West Bank settlements.

The plan has received US President George W. Bush's thumbs up.

Meanwhile, in the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli military sources said two soldiers were lightly wounded by shrapnel after Palestinians fired a rocket propelled grenade near the Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim.

Palestinian security sources said Israeli armor and two bulldozers rolled into the nearby Palestinian city of Khan Yunis early Friday and razed five houses and partially destroyed six others.

In the West Bank, four wanted militants were nabbed by troops, military sources said, adding the both that territory and the Gaza Strip continued to be under full army closure.

The hermetic blockade was re-imposed after Israel killed Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Yassin in March 22 Gaza air strike.