The Knesset will vote on Israel’s 2005 budget on March 17. Getting the $61 billion austerity package passed is crucial for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the summer’s planned Israeli withdrawals from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank. As of Thursday, Sharon could count on only 53 votes in the 120-seat Knesset, but political analysts said he would likely gain more in the coming two weeks.
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.