What sectors are affected by the general strike in Israel? | News

A general strike went into effect in Israel this morning in solidarity with the families of prisoners held in the Gaza Strip and in rejection of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s obstruction of a prisoner exchange deal to return them.

Local authorities, municipalities, universities, schools, public transportation and a number of ministries are participating in the strike, while Ben Gurion Airport witnessed a state of chaos after workers and Israeli airlines decided to continue the strike.

Israel’s Army Radio quoted a Labor Court judge as saying the court had accepted the Histadrut’s proposal regarding the strike, and would not issue any arrest warrants.

The following are the most prominent sectors that have announced their participation so far in the strike called for by the largest labor union in Israel:

• Ben Gurion Airport: Ben Gurion Airport suspended flights for two hours, starting at 8:00 a.m., in response to the strike decision announced by the head of the Histadrut Labor Federation, Arnon Bar-David, yesterday, Sunday.

During and after that, some services were halted at Israel’s main Ben Gurion Airport, but it continues to receive incoming flights, according to Reuters, while Channel 12 reported that workers at Ben Gurion Airport and Israeli airlines decided to continue the strike, amid chaos at the airport.

Haaretz newspaper said that the airport resumed operations after a two-hour strike as part of the general strike.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported long queues at Ben Gurion Airport after announcing his participation in the general strike.

She said that the baggage carriers were stopped at Ben Gurion Airport and that dozens of bags had piled up in the departure hall, and she also quoted airport employees as confirming that there would be no flights until this evening.

• Trains and buses: Bus and light rail services were halted in many areas, with some continuing to operate only partially.
• Haifa Port: The strike also extended to the main port of Haifa in Israel, where Haifa port workers joined the general strike and stopped providing services related to loading and unloading ships.
• Hospitals and banks: While hospitals went on a partial strike, banks went on a full strike.

Accordingly, hospitals will only operate emergency departments, perform urgent surgeries, and other pre-arranged surgeries will be postponed. Outpatient departments will also not operate.

Israeli media reported that the strike will not include hospitals on the conflict line, emergency medicine, emergency rooms, oncology institutes, dialysis centers, delivery rooms and premature babies, in order to minimize harm to the public as much as possible.

• Schools and universities: Teachers and workers in schools and universities also participated in the general strike, although the percentage of their participation in the strike is not clear.
• Private sector companies: Many private sector companies operated normally with employees allowed to participate in the strike, which disrupted many services.
• Social workers: The Social Workers’ Union in Israel announced a strike in accordance with the directives of the Histadrut.

The union said that according to the strike decision, its services to poor families, victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, the elderly and children at risk, victims of crime, victims of hostilities, and people with disabilities in the Israeli army will be suspended, and social services departments in most local authorities will not operate, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

• Shopping malls: Several major shopping malls closed their doors and parking lots, announced their participation in the strike, and left the choice to tenants, who they said must act according to their conscience, according to Israeli media.
• Real estate companies: Maariv newspaper reported that real estate companies also joined the strike, and mentioned a group of companies that decided to respond to the strike decision, and closed their offices and shopping centers accordingly.

For months, security officials, the opposition and prisoners’ families have accused Netanyahu of obstructing a deal with Hamas, fearing the collapse of his ruling coalition and the loss of his position, and are demanding his resignation and early elections.

Far-right ministers, including Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are threatening to withdraw from the government and bring it down if it accepts an agreement that calls for a complete withdrawal of the army and/or an end to the war on Gaza.

With American support, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza since October 7, leaving nearly 135,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that killed dozens of children.