Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak formally resigned following his surprise announcement the previous night that he would seek a new mandate to pursue his peace policies with the Palestinians. Barak presented his letter of resignation to President Moshe Katsav, setting in motion a countdown to special elections for prime minister within 60 days.
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.