The leader of the Israeli Histadrut union announced on Monday “an immediate general strike” during a press conference, demanding an end to the judicial reform announced by the Government, which deeply divides the country.
“I call for a general strike… as soon as this press conference ends. The State of Israel is coming to a standstill,” announced Arnon Arnon Bar-David, who heads Israel’s largest union.
Shortly after the strike was announced, officials in charge of Israel’s airports said flights out of the country’s main international airport had been suspended.
The union had been left out of protests that had lasted for weeks, but the resignation of the Israeli defense minister seemed to spur this immediate strike.
Netanyahu dismissed the Defense Minister last night, after Yoav Gallant publicly called for an end to judicial reform, in the first critical voice of the Government.
The Prime Minister’s decision brought more than 600,000 people to the streets in massive and impromptu protests in several Israeli cities. Universities across the country have closed “until further notice.”
The judicial reform triggered one of Israel’s most serious internal crises, uniting business leaders, judicial officials and even the country’s military in widespread opposition.
The President of Israel asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to “act responsibly and courageously” and end “immediately” the legislative process of the controversial judicial reform that divides the country.
The centerpiece of the review is a law that will give the ruling coalition the final say on all judicial appointments. Other laws may give parliament the ability to overturn Supreme Court decisions and limit judicial review of laws.
Netanyahu and his allies said the plan would restore the balance between the judicial and executive branches and rein in what they see as an interventionist court with liberal sympathies.
But critics warned that the laws would remove Israel’s system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of the ruling coalition, adding that Netanyahu, who is to be tried on corruption charges, had a conflict of interest.
Source: TSF
