JERUSALEM - Israel's parliament has called a special debate on the threat posed by Jewish extremists opposed to settlement evacuation, and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for the first time acknowledged publicly that he feels at risk.

The Israeli parliament called today's debate after Avi Dichter, the head of the Shin Bet security service, told the Cabinet on Sunday that he was concerned about growing militancy among opponents to settlement evacuation.

Dichter's warnings struck a deep chord because many Israeli politicians and security officials still blame themselves for ignoring the warning signs ahead of the 1995 assassination of then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by an ultranationalist Jew.

In the months leading up to the assassination, Jewish extremists branded Rabin a "traitor" for handing land to the Palestinians, and some rabbis issued religious rulings later seen as having encouraged the killing of the prime minister.

Sharon, a patron of settlers for most of his career, has become the target of verbal attacks since announcing his Gaza withdrawal plan in February.

Sharon met late Monday with Justice Minister Yosef Lapid, and asked legal authorities to act swiftly to quell any incitement, an official in the meeting said.

The prime minister acknowledged that he feels at risk, although there have been no specific threats.