Call for Immediate General Strike After Layoffs and Resignations

Israel’s General Federation of Trade Unions continued its defiance by holding a “general strike” in response to the government’s proposed judicial reform project, which has sparked mass protests in the country for three months. The head of the Histadrut federation, Arnon Bardavid, said in a televised speech that he called for a strike to stop traffic in Israel. “We have a mission, we have to stop this legislative process, and we will,” he added, promising to “keep protesting.” Israel’s medical unions then called a “comprehensive health sector strike” that would inevitably affect all medical services. Lisa Dvir, a spokeswoman for the Israel Airports Authority, confirmed to AFP that the strike would affect flights at Ben Gurion Airport near the Tel Aviv coast. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to block controversial legislative changes. The call for a general strike came hours after Israeli President Isaac Herzog called for an immediate halt to judicial reforms after clashes between demonstrators and police were recorded in Tel Aviv last night to protest the sacking of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The minister’s dismissal came after his call on Saturday to freeze judicial reforms for a month, voicing fears for Israel’s security. The reform project proposed by the Netanyahu government, one of Israel’s most right-wing governments, aims to strengthen the power of parliament at the expense of the judiciary. Netanyahu and his allies believe the reform is aimed at striking a balance between the powers of parliament and the judiciary, which they see as politicized. Protests against the project have been organized for almost three months now, and this mobilization is considered one of the largest in Israeli history. Over the weekend, more than 200,000 Israelis took to the streets in protest. Critics of the reform believe that it will jeopardize democracy in Israel. The White House noted that President Joe Biden recently told Netanyahu that “democratic values ​​have always been and must remain the hallmark of the relationship between the United States and Israel.” On Sunday, Washington called for a “settlement” after Biden expressed “concern” about a project to change the judiciary in Israel, according to his spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre. Gallant is a staunch ally of Netanyahu and took office in December as part of Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.