Israel’s Knesset gave preliminary approval to a bill that could kill the chances of a peace deal with Syria. The bill, supported by three parties in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s governing coalition, requires that a referendum by Israelis on a withdrawal from the Golan Heights be approved by more than 50 percent of all eligible voters rather than by the more easily attainable majority of those who actually vote.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.