Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) chairperson Arnon Bar-David declared a general strike in Israel today following the murder by Hamas of six Israeli hostages it had held since October 7 last year: Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin (a US citizen), Alexander Lubanov, Almog Seroussi, and Ori Danino.
The strike, which is intended to back calls for a deal with Hamas to free the remaining hostages, began at 6:00 am this morning, and covers public institutions and many local authorities, but vital services continue to operate as normal.
The Histadrut is considering whether to continue with the strike tomorrow, although, on the possibility that the court might intervene following a petition by the state, a spokesperson for the Histadrut said, "If injunctions are issued, we’ll respect them." As for the fact that the strike has not taken hold everywhere it has been declared, the spokesperson said, "A strike is a process, there’s no such thing as 100%, but there is certainly an extensive work stoppage in most services in the country."
In the public sector, most of which is organized under the Histadrut, the strike is widespread. This includes government services relating directly to citizens, such as the Employment Service, the National Insurance Institute, the water corporations, and government ministries.
Among local authorities, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Givatayim, and Kfar Sava have announced that they will join the strike. The Federation of Local Authorities in Israel is also on strike, but this does not oblige all local authorities to follow suit.
In Jerusalem and in many other local authorities associated with the political right, schools and kindergartens are operating normally.
Bus companies Egged, Dan, Metropolin are striking, as is the Gush Dan light rail. Israel Railways has been exempted from the strike. The light rail in Jerusalem and the Carmelit in Haifa are on strike or are experiencing disruptions,
The Israel Airports Authority announced yesterday that Ben Gurion Airport would be disrupted between 8:00 am and 10:00 am only, and that landings would proceed as normal, but the Histadrut has not given a time when the disruptions will end. The head of the Transport and Ports Union in the Histadrut Adv. Eyal Yadin said that the strike applied to all departures, apart from flights exempted by an exemptions committee, but that arrivals would not be affected. Meanwhile, it is reported from Ben Gurion Airport that there is considerable crowding and that the baggage conveyor belts have stopped working.
Hospitals are working on a Saturday format, except for emergency services. Magen David Adom is working as usual. Maccabi, Clalit and Meuhedet health services are working normally. The banks are on complete strike. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange is working normally.
Many private sector business organizations have announced that they will join the strike. The Israel Business Forum, which brings together 200 senior managers from some of Israel’s largest businesses, has announced that it members will shut down today. Fox owner Harel Wiesel, who spoke at a meeting of the Forum, said, "The time has come to step up a level and give support to the families of the hostages."
Tens of thousands of people took part in demonstrations around Israel overnight in support of the hostages and their families and calling on the government to reach a deal for the hostages' release.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on September 2, 2024.
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