Jewish settlers held yesterday what they called a "difficult" meeting with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon over his commitment to dismantle their outposts in the Palestinian territories under a US-brokered peace plan.

"The meeting was difficult, it took place in a tense atmosphere and was worrying," the council which represents settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip said in a statement.

"The leaders of the settlements clearly told the Prime Minister they will fight fiercely, but without violence, against the evacuation of the outposts and the creation of a Palestinian state," it said.

Sharon committed his government at a June 4 summit at Aqaba, Jordan, to the internationally backed peace roadmap, which calls for the dismantling of the rogue settlements and a freeze on settlement building.

There are more than 100 settlement outposts in the West Bank, more than 60 of which have been built since Sharon came to power in 2001.

Israeli forces have dismantled about ten of them since last week but the settlers have already started rebuilding some of them.

Together with a halt to Palestinian militant attacks, the roadmap is intended to end more than 32 months of fighting and put the sides on the path to a two-state solution to the conflict.

The international community considers all Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories to be illegal, but Israel has so far agreed only to get rid of those outposts, which it has not authorised. - Sapa-AFP.