Israel’s Labor Court in Tel Aviv has ruled that the general strike that has paralyzed much of the country’s economy must end at 2:30 p.m. local time (1130 GMT), according to court documents seen by Reuters.
Israel’s main union had launched a general strike on Monday to put pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to agree to a ceasefire deal in Gaza after the deaths of six hostages at the hands of Hamas sparked mass protests across the country.
Businesses, schools and transportation across Israel are being affected by the strike, with several roads blocked. and some flights at Ben Gurion International Airport disrupted. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Israel on Sunday after Gaza soldiers recovered the bodies of six hostages. A total of 97 captives are missing in Gaza.
Some government ministry officials stayed away from their offices or went out into the streets. Many post offices and bank branches closed their doors, while Ben Gurion, the country’s main airport, suspended takeoffs between 8 and 10 a.m. local time.
In a move spearheaded by a forum of 200 business leaders In Israel’s largest shopping malls, several shopping centers closed for the day, affecting stores of international brands such as Zara, owned by Inditex SA, and Nike Inc. Many tech companies have closed their offices, including Lemonade and venture capital fund Qumra Capital.
The strike was called on Sunday by the Histadrut labour federation, which said it would be willing to end the stoppage at 6 p.m. to avoid court orders, according to a court hearing discussing a government request to halt the strike.
Critics accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the conflict (thus reducing the chances of early elections, which polls suggest he would lose).instead of prioritizing the safe return of the approximately 100 hostages still held in Gaza. Hostilities have spread to the West Bank, another Palestinian territory, and neighboring Lebanon, threatening to plunge the region into a wider war.
Netanyahu has defended his stance on a ceasefire as necessary to ensure that Hamas cannot rearm, and has remained steadfast in his ultimate goal of destroying the Iran-backed group. If Hamas persists, administration officials have warned, Israel’s enemies would be emboldened and more hostage-takings could occur in the future..
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has urged Netanyahu to drop his insistence that Israeli troops remain in the Philadelphia corridor between Gaza and Egypt, a key sticking point in talks with Hamas, two officials told Bloomberg. A security cabinet meeting ended Sunday night with no decision taken on his proposal.
Netanyahu “has been driven primarily by the desire to retain power with a narrow and very radical messianic coalition in the Israeli government,” said Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, a 36-year-old Israeli-American. “So far, at least, he’s chosen that over the welfare of all the hostages,” Dekel-Chen said Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation.
Israel’s economy has borne the brunt of war-related policies and grew 2% last year, nearly half the rate the Finance Ministry had expected before the outbreak of the conflict.The shekel weakened 0.7 percent against the dollar on Monday, although the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange traded slightly higher.
Among the hostages killed was Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli-American citizen. Their parents were among the most prominent advocates for the abductees, meeting with Biden and other world leaders and speaking at the Democratic National Convention to a standing ovation. Hamas said the hostages found over the weekend were killed by Israeli bombs.