Jerusalem ? The leaders of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and West Bank urged their followers Monday to resist a government plan to withdraw from parts of the occupied territories, edging closer to open revolt against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to pull out next summer.

While the leaders said they remained opposed to violence, their call for civil disobedience — even at the risk of going to jail — marked the first time they have advocated breaking the law.

The announcement came on the eve of a visit by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who will push to restart Mideast peace talks following the death of Yasser Arafat. In a setback to Blair, Israel bowed out of a proposed Mideast conference in Britain, after earlier indicating it would attend.

Since Sharon announced his withdrawal plan early this year, the settler movement has tried to defeat it through political lobbying and an aggressive advertising campaign.

Last summer, their political allies quit Sharon’s ruling coalition, leaving the prime minister with a minority government.

But Sharon has managed to outmaneuver them, turning to the moderate opposition for support as his hard-line coalition crumbled. That strategy appeared headed for success Monday, when parliament endorsed a reform bill to clear the way for the moderate Labor Party to join the government. A coalition with Labor would restore Sharon’s majority, guaranteeing strong Cabinet support for the Gaza withdrawal.

With their political options dwindling, leaders of the Yesha Settlers Council, a group representing settlers in Gaza and the West Bank, endorsed a call by a prominent leader, Pinchas Wallerstein, to resist the withdrawal, even at the risk of imprisonment.

“The Yesha council stands behind Pinchas Wallerstein,” council head Bentsi Lieberman said later at a news conference.

“The proposal to expel Jews from their homes is an immoral decision and a breach of human rights.” Yesha is a Hebrew acronym for Judea, Samaria and Gaza, the biblical names of the territories.