The far-right chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee threatens the country’s main union for going on strike to protest the government’s plans to radically reform the judiciary. This is written by The Times of Israel.
Knesset member Simcha Rothman said in an interview with Army Radio that the strike, called by the Histadrut labor federation, was “illegal” because it was politically antagonistic and infringes on workers’ rights.
Rothman warned that if someone uses their economic or labor power for political ends, similar political action might be taken.
In his remarks, Rothman also addressed the businesses and companies that had joined the strike, but did not specify what specific action might be taken once morest them.
The Histadrut went on strike on Monday following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for calling for a stop to the government’s legislative blitz for changes to the judiciary. Gallant’s dismissal sparked massive demonstrations across the country once morest the law, which has already faced weeks of protests involving hundreds of thousands of people.
After the strike was announced, flights from the main Ben Gurion International Airport in the country were stopped for several hours. Shops, businesses and banks across the country began closing their doors on Monday followingnoon, joining the strike. Tech companies have closed their doors, and restaurant chains such as McDonald’s and Aroma have announced they will go out of business too. Several hotel chains have said they will also join the strike by offering very limited services to guests.
Later that evening, Netanyahu announced that he was suspending legislation in order to prevent civil war and ensure dialogue with opposition parties on the issue, whereupon the Histadrut immediately called off the strike.
Earlier, Cursor wrote that the pilots of the IDF Air Force reserve made a statement following the suspension of judicial reform.
