Israeli national labor union declares general strike, including airport, to protest ‘politically motivated’ delay of hostage deal

Airport strike limited to 2 hours amid backlash; numerous municipalities won't join strike

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Israel’s Histadrut Labor Union will hold a general strike on Monday in protest over the government’s "delaying a deal for the return of the hostages for political reasons," union chairman Arnon Bar-David declared Sunday evening.

Surrounded by representatives of hostage families, Bar-David stated: “It’s impossible to stand by any longer. The fact that Jews are murdered in tunnels in Gaza is unacceptable. We need to reach a deal, a deal is more important than anything else.”

The union head's statement came after the Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced earlier that they would hold dozens of protests across Israel on Sunday evening to “bring the nation to a halt.” The announcement followed the recovery of the bodies of six murdered hostages from the southern town of Rafah in Gaza on Saturday evening.

Bar-David continued, “I talked with many people in Israeli politics, with the people of our security system. A deal is not progressing due to political considerations and that cannot be accepted. The abandonment of the abducted, of the displaced, of the collapsing economy must be stopped.”

“Therefore my decision that starting tomorrow at 06:00 the entire Israeli economy will go on a complete strike,” he declared.

The highly controversial decision to grind the economy to a halt to achieve a political goal immediately received strong backlash, with numerous municipalities across the nation announcing they would not follow Bar-David’s instructions.

These included Jerusalem, Ashdod, Netanya, Ramla, Dimona, Holon, Petah Tikva, Safed, Shlomi, Ma’alot Tarshiha, all municipalities in Judea and Samaria, and others.

The decision to strike in Israel’s only international airport, as well as in the schools, that began the new school year on Sunday, was especially controversial.

A Histadrut spokesman at first confirmed the airport would be closed and all takeoffs and landings halted starting at 8 a.m for an as-of-yet unspecified time, the Times of Israel reported. Israeli media later said that the strike was limited to only two hours due to backlash from airport workers and pilots.

The Teachers Union said all K-12 schools in Israel would close at 11:45 a.m. on Monday, except schools for special needs kids. Kindergartens will act according to the same schedule.

The head of the Association of University Heads also said that academic institutions would “join the economic shutdown.”

“The university heads repeat their call to the government of Israel to make freeing the hostages the top national mission,” he stated.

Bar-David continued his statement: “I call on the people of Israel to go to the streets this evening and tomorrow leave the workplaces. I call on all economic organizations to join the strike. We must shout the cry of our beloved land - the cry of the abducted, the displaced and the dead.”

Sharon Sharabi, whose brother Eli is still a hostage in Gaza, joined Bar-David during the press briefing. He called the strike “a noble act.”

Turning to Bar-David, he said, “You decided to do an act that sanctifies the values of the people of Israel, sanctifies solidarity and mutual guarantee. This is the leadership we expected, an act that unites right and left and puts a focus on human life. This is not a deal, it is a plan for saving lives, and Arnon's act makes it clear that the first priority is the hostages.”

However, the Tikva Forum representing more hawkish hostage families, slammed the announcement as “a death sentence for the remaining hostages and a reward for [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar for the murder of the six hostages. We call on the citizens of Israel to break the wild and dangerous strike of the Histadrut, to go to the workplaces and prove to the whole world that the people of Israel live.”

The national organization of civilian security coordinators in the Histadrut said, “Thousands of coordinators and members of emergency squads will not submit to political dictates and will not strike tomorrow.”

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich insisted that workers ignore the Histadrut’s call to a general strike, and said they would not receive pay if they decided to join the strike.

Bar-David was “fulfilling the dream of Sinwar,” Smotrich charged, “and instead of representing Israeli workers is deciding to represent the interests of Hamas.”