Histadrut Secretary General Arnon Bar-David has called an immediate general strike until the judicial overhaul is halted. He met last night with business leaders including Fox owner Harel Wizel head of the Business Forum and said that he was shocked by the dismissal of Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.
In a dramatic statement this morning Bar-David said, "This is an historic strike in which workers and employers will together halt the judicial overhaul."
The strike has quickly snowballed. All takeoffs have been stopped at Ben Gurion airport and many shopping malls have shut down. Many businesses especially in the tech sector have joined the strike and banks and local authorities are also striking.
After unprecedented demonstrations throughout the country throughout the night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with coalition partners to discuss whether to pause the judicial overhaul. After the meeting, Netanyahu will address the nation. Demonstrators took to the streets after Netanyahu fired Gallant for warning that the rift in the nation was endangering the IDF's readiness and Israel's security.
The Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv was blocked for more than five hours last night but is currently open and there have been major disruptions throughout the country.
Meanwhile the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, headed by MK Simcha Rothman, has approved the changes in the panel for selecting Supreme Court judges. The legislation is now ready for its second and third readings in the Knesset unless the bill is pauised.
Despite the mass unrest the shekel is strengthening this morning and is down 0.85% against the dollar at NIS 3.598/$ and down 0.95% against the euro at NIS 3.877/€, on the assumption that Netanyahu will pause the legislation. The Tel Aviv 35 Index opened 1.40% higher at 1765.25 points.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on March 27, 2023.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2023.