A top adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in a published interview Wednesday that Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is meant to delay the establishment of a Palestinian state indefinitely, and claimed the United States supports the policy.

The blunt assessment by Dov Weisglass, Sharon's point man with the Bush administration, came a week into a broad Israeli incursion in Gaza that has killed 75 people.

Weisglass' comments, published in the Haaretz daily, contradicted the Israeli government's assurances that it remains committed to the U.S.-backed "road map," which calls for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, but has been stalled for months amid violations by both sides.

Weisglass' remarks angered the Israeli left and prompted Sharon's office to issue a damage-control statement saying Israel remains committed to the road map. However, in a newspaper interview last month, Sharon said Israel is no longer following the plan.

In a radio interview Wednesday, Weisglass said his comments were taken out of context.

Haaretz said the quotes were excerpts from a full interview it plans to print Friday.

"The significance of the disengagement plan is the freezing of the peace process," Weisglass was quoted as saying.

"Effectively, the whole package called the Palestinian state with all that entails has been removed indefinitely from our agenda. And all this with authority and permission -- all this with a presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress."

Sharon has proposed withdrawing from Gaza and four small West Bank settlements as part of his disengagement plan.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said Weisglass revealed Israel's real intentions.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the United States remains committed to the road map and believes that Israel is too. However, he said Washington had expressed concern to Israeli officials over Weisglass' statements.

Weisglass' comments appeared largely aimed at courting Israeli hard-liners. Sharon has lost his parliamentary majority over the plan, and has not been able to broaden his coalition during the summer recess. Parliament is reconvening next week and will vote on the Gaza withdrawal in coming months.