General Strike in Israel Halted by 'Supreme Labor Court' Ruling to Pressure Netanyahu

The nationwide strike in Israel, which began at 8 AM on Monday, September 12, called by the 'Histadrut', the union of Israeli workers and employees, to pressure the Prime Minister, was halted by a ruling from the 'Supreme Labor Court' of Israel. The aim of the strike was to finalize an agreement for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The 'Supreme Labor Court' ruled that the motivation for the strike was contrary to the fundamental right of workers and employees to strike in situations where their legal rights are violated. According to the court's ruling, the strike was stopped at 2:30 PM on Monday. The Israeli Finance Minister welcomed the court's ruling. Bezalel Smotrich stated that the court determined the strike was political. He added that the era of such illegal actions has ended. Mr. Smotrich, along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had filed an urgent complaint against the nationwide strike to the 'Supreme Labor Court', arguing that a strike is only justified when workers' rights are violated. The strike began after a night of widespread protests in Israel following the discovery of the bodies of six Israeli hostages killed by the extremist group Hamas in Gaza. Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, is suspected of having killed the six hostages shortly before the Israeli army arrived at a tunnel in Rafah on Saturday evening. This event had a profound impact on Israeli society, which has been waiting for months for an agreement to return the hostages. Arnon Bar-David, the head of 'Histadrut', stated on Sunday after meeting with representatives of the families of the remaining hostages held by Hamas that the labor union had refrained from any intervention during the 11 months of the Gaza war and initiated the strike to prove that 'a Jew never leaves another Jew behind, and we are responsible for each other's lives.' The mothers of the hostages wept as Bar-David spoke, as they apparently viewed the strike announcement by 'Histadrut' as the last resort in their extensive efforts over the past 11 months to compel the Israeli government to agree to a final deal. During the six and a half hours of the strike, flights at Ben Gurion Airport were halted, urban trains in Jerusalem ceased operations, the major bus company 'Egged' reported disruptions, major shopping centers remained closed, restaurants in major areas like Tel Aviv stayed shut, and with the teachers' union joining the strike, education in elementary and middle schools was halted. Kindergarten activities were also suspended. Since September 1, the start of the new school year in Israel, high schools had also been closed due to the teachers' strike. The municipalities of Tel Aviv, Givatayim, and some other cities joined the strike, but the municipalities of Jerusalem, Ashdod, Netanya, Ashkelon, Nahariya, and several other small and large cities, whose mayors are members of the ruling Likud party, refrained from joining the strike. The labor union and employees had warned that the strikes on Monday could be the beginning of widespread strikes that could paralyze the country's administration. After the 'Supreme Labor Court' ruling to halt the strike, Bar-David stated that we live in a country of law and respect the rulings. He added that hundreds of thousands of people expressed their views in widespread protests and proved that 'the fate of the hostages knows no left or right; it is a matter of life and death, and we will not allow them to be left behind.' The number of Israelis participating in protest gatherings on Sunday night in Tel Aviv and other cities to compel the government to accept a final hostage exchange agreement was estimated to be over 700,000. Simultaneously, thousands participated in the funerals of the deceased hostages. These ceremonies continued alongside public protests on Monday. There are still 101 Israeli hostages held by Hamas.