An Israeli court ruled to halt the general strike that began this morning, in which broad sectors of Israel participated, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considered it support for the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar.
The Tel Aviv Labor Court ordered that the general strike that has brought most economic activity in Israel to a halt must end at 2:30 p.m. local time (1130 GMT).
The Histadrut trade union federation began a general strike on Monday to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza after the killing of six prisoners held by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas sparked mass protests across Israel.
Public services were disrupted in several areas of Israel on Monday in response to a general strike declared by the largest labor union to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to conclude a prisoner exchange deal in the Gaza Strip.
Great support
The strike began at 6 a.m. today, and the call, issued by the head of the Histadrut Federation of Trade Unions, Arnon Bar-David, for a one-day general strike, received the support of major industrial companies in Israel, and entrepreneurs in the high-tech sector.
Yesterday, Sunday, the Israeli occupation army announced the recovery of the bodies of 6 detainees after they were found inside a tunnel in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip, confirming their identities, while US President Joe Biden expressed his sadness over the death of one of them (who holds American citizenship).
In an attempt to abort the strike, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addressed the Israeli Labor Court, which was scheduled to convene this morning, but several sectors responded to the call, which was also supported by several employer groups, including the Israeli Manufacturers Association and the advanced technology sector.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israeli unions informed the labor court that the strike will end tonight.
Hebrew media, including Yedioth Ahronoth, quoted Smotrich as saying that the strike is political and illegal and must be stopped immediately.
Yedioth Ahronoth also noted that the government’s petition requests a ruling that the surprise strike is not due to a collective labor dispute and is political.
Netanyahu: Strike is support for Sinwar
In his first comment after the Labor Court’s decision to stop the strike, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the strike in Israel represents support for Sinwar (head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas), according to what was reported by Israel’s Channel 12.
Israel Hayom quoted him as saying that he wanted to “return the kidnapped soldiers, but there are places we must not abandon, and Philadelphia is Hamas’s oxygen tube.”
The head of the Histadrut labor union, Arnon Bar David, said that political considerations are what are obstructing the exchange deal with the resistance.
David added that these considerations are what led to receiving bodies instead of prisoners, and therefore the economy must stop in Israel, referring to the union’s escalation against the government.
He pointed out that instead of recovering the prisoners, the Israelis are receiving more bodies, and called on society, organizations and various bodies in Israel to join the protests and expand them starting tonight.
The Israeli Labor Union controls most sectors that include workers and employees in the public sector, including government companies, local councils and municipalities.
Given its impact on vital sectors such as education, health and infrastructure, observers said before the strike began that it could lead to a near-total paralysis of the Israeli economy, including airports, public transportation and daily services, in addition to halting other vital operations.
Effects of the strike
Some services have been halted at Israel’s main Ben Gurion Airport, but it continues to receive flights, according to Reuters, while Israel’s Channel 12 reported that workers at Ben Gurion Airport and Israeli airlines have decided to continue the strike.
Bus and light rail services were also suspended or partially operational in many areas.
Workers at Israel’s main port of Haifa went on strike, while hospitals went on partial strike and banks went on full strike.
Many private sector companies operated normally with employees allowed to participate in the strike, which led to the disruption of many services.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Ramallah bureau chief Walid al-Omari said that the strike had already begun Monday morning, and that it would continue for three hours at Ben Gurion Airport, and would continue for the rest of the day in the remaining sectors, if the court did not decide to stop it.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s correspondent added that the strike is being participated in by many local authorities, municipalities, universities, schools, public transportation and a number of ministries.
Demonstrations and protests
Coinciding with the general strike in Israel, the families of the prisoners and those in solidarity with them demonstrated in more than one city, and the demonstrators took the initiative to close important streets and intersections in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
They also threatened to escalate their protest movement until the Netanyahu government responds to their only demand, which is to sign a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, and to stop obstructing efforts to reach it.
Meanwhile, police clashed with demonstrators from the families of the prisoners and those in solidarity with them in downtown Tel Aviv, where the demonstrators chanted slogans denouncing the Netanyahu government’s position on the prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
Despite the police’s attempts to control the demonstrators, they succeeded in continuing and closing a number of important streets and intersections. They also continued to chant slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Ministers of National Security and Finance, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
The protests are expected to reach their peak on Monday evening in three demonstrations, the first of which will be held in front of Netanyahu’s residence in West Jerusalem, the second in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, and the third in front of Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast (37 km south of Haifa).
In contrast, Israeli right-wingers demonstrated in front of the government headquarters in West Jerusalem, demanding that no agreement be reached to stop the war on the Gaza Strip.
The largest demonstrations since the beginning of the war
The current movement comes after the largest demonstrations witnessed by Israel since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip, in condemnation of the Netanyahu government’s hesitation in concluding a deal with the Palestinian resistance, which would pave the way for the release of Israeli prisoners in the Strip.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s correspondent reported, citing Israeli estimates, that more than 300,000 people participated in the demonstrations, while Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted protest organizers across Israel as saying that 770,000 people participated, including 550,000 in Tel Aviv, amid the closure of several road junctions in more than one location in Israel.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called on Sunday for a strike to shut down the country’s economy in order to pressure the government to reach an agreement to release the remaining prisoners in the Gaza Strip.
Lapid stressed that Benjamin Netanyahu invented the Philadelphi Corridor obstacle to thwart reaching a deal with the aim of preventing the fall of his government.
Lapid added in statements to the Israeli radio that Netanyahu will invent another axis and a new obstacle because all he cares about is the continuation of his failed government and his remaining as prime minister.
Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu attacked Defense Minister Yoav Galant during a cabinet meeting last night.
He said that he was no less determined than him regarding the issue of returning the kidnapped, and that he fought for their return more than Galant, but that withdrawing from Philadelphia was a reward for terrorism, according to his expression.
Source : The Island + Tel Aviv Tribune + Agencies + Israeli press