After serving as prime minister for over five years, Golda Meir resigned on April 11, 1974. This is an article from the front page of the Israeli newspaper Maariv on the day of her resignation. The page includes a headline, subtitles, texts, and two photographs. The first photograph shows Golda Meir after the meeting she held with her political party, and the second shows Moshe Dayan, the defence minister, leaving her house.
Golda Meir had intended to retire in October 1973, but the sudden outset of the Yom Kippur War forced her to postpone her retirement. The war had a great impact on Golda: on the one hand, she had sensed the possibility of an attack by the Arab armies, but on the other hand, her military advisors had informed her that no attack was imminent.
During the war, Golda managed to acquire arms from the US, keep her nerve when the government began to discuss the use of nuclear weapons when Israel was suffering heavy casualties, and lead Israel through the difficult war until the final victory. Following the war, the Agranat Commission, set up to investigate Israel’s lack of preparedness, praised her conduct during the war
Despite being cleared by the commission of direct responsibility, the damage had already been done, and Golda was tired. In her autobiography, My Life, she later wrote: “Five years are sufficient… It is beyond my strength to continue carrying this burden.” In April 1974 Golda announced her resignation to the president and the Knesset.
Golda Meir died of cancer eight years later on December 8, 1978 at the age of 80.
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Yom Kippur War - The Yom Kippur War began on October 6, 1973 on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. The Arab coalition led by Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel from both sides of the Suez Canal as well as from the Golan Heights and surrounding areas. The Arab nations were fighting as part of the dispute over territories which had been going on since 1948. The Sinai Peninsula, captured in 1967, and parts of the Golan Heights were strategic areas that they were looking to reclaim. The war lasted from October 6 to October 25, and during this time, Israel suffered greatly, losing over 2,500 soldiers in battle and with another 8,000 injured. The aftermath of the war caused much internal turmoil within Israeli society but eventually led Israel and its neighbours to the negotiating table at the 1978 Camp David Accords.
