The firings of Israeli Cabinet ministers from the fervently Orthodox Shas Party went into effect. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he would not allow Shas back into the coalition unless its 17 legislators vote in favor of an emergency economic package, which passed a preliminary vote in the Knesset on Wednesday.
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.