JERUSALEM: The head of Israel’s Histadrut labour union called for a general strike beginning at 6am local time on Monday (Sep 2) to pressure the government into reaching a deal to return Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
Arnon Bar-David, whose union represents hundreds of thousands of workers, called on all civilian workers to join the strike and said Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main air transport hub, would be closed from 8am.
Bar-David said that for now, the strike would just be for Monday but he sharply criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for failing to bring hostages back alive.
A dozen bodies – all hostages – have been brought back to Israel in the past week. Some 101 hostages still remain, although Israel believes one-third of them are no longer alive.
“The neglect of the economy must be stopped,” Bar-David said at a news conference. “Israel must be returned to a reasonable routine … We must reach a deal. A deal is more important than anything else.
“We are getting body bags instead of a deal. We must stop the abandonment of the hostages … I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention can shake those who need to be shaken.
“Starting tomorrow at six in the morning, the entire Israeli economy will go on complete strike.”
