Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres dropped his bid for the premiership after the dovish Meretz Party voted not to back his candidacy. Meretz officials, who hold 10 seats in the 120-member Knesset, had feared that Peres would siphon votes away from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in the elections, thereby helping the chances of opposition leader Ariel Sharon.
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.
