A nationwide strike in response to Israel’s largest trade union, Histadrut, impacted normal life across Israel on Sep 2 and halted large parts of the economy.
The general strike comes after tens of thousands of Israelis protested during the intervening night of Aug 31 and Sep. 1, cutting off the Ayalon highway, the motorway running through the heart of Tel Aviv, and lighting fires in the streets.
The strike is observed to condemn the Hamas attacks on Oct 7, last year amid widespread public anger at the government’s handling of the war in Gaza after the discovery of the bodies of six hostages at the weekend, media reports said.
Government and municipal offices remained closed, as well as schools and many private businesses also remained shut.
Israel’s international airport Ben Gurion has remained shut down since morning for an unknown period.
“I have concluded that only our intervention can shake those who need to be shaken. A deal is not progressing due to political considerations and this is unacceptable,” said Histadrut chair Arnon Bar-David in a statement.
Hostage deaths could pile pressure on Netanyahu to agree to the Gaza ceasefire, he added.
The mayors of Tel Aviv and nearby Givatayim announced that the municipalities are on strike on Sep. 2 to demand the return of the hostages, and more are expected to follow suit.
A few dozen police officers tried to contain the protest on Sep. 1 night but were unable to push it back. At 29 people were arrested, local media reported.
The union called the strike after campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum backed the idea to force the government to reach a deal for the return of the remaining hostages taken during Hamas’ attacks on 7 October.
Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, also supported the move.
“Were it not for the delays, sabotage, and excuses” in months of mediation efforts, the six hostages “would likely still be alive”, a statement from the the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, referring to the discovery of Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino in tunnels “dozens of meters” underground during fighting in Rafah, southern Gaza.
The strike has impacted Tel Aviv airport, the only major route in and out of the country, which remains closed. It has also affected hospitals and other public services, costing the economy millions of shekels, media reports said.
Netanyahu on Sep 1. asked hostage Lobanov’s parents for “forgiveness for not succeeding in bringing Sasha back alive”.
Israeli media reported on Sep 1 that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara had instructed prosecutors to seek an injunction against the strike.
Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, wrote to the attorney general on Sep. 1 seeking an injunction, arguing that it would harm the economy and had no legal basis as its main aim was to influence government policy on state security.
The Histadrut union has not taken such drastic action since March 2023, when Netanyahu tried to fire defense minister Yoav Gallant over his opposition to the government’s controversial judicial overhaul plans, media reports said.
Military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said all six hostages “were abducted alive on the morning of 7 October” and “brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them”.
Media reports quoting some analysts said the public outcry over the six hostages who died could signal a new level of political pressure on Netanyahu.
“I think this is an earthquake. This isn’t just one more step in the war,” said Nomi Bar-Yaacov, an associate fellow in the International Security Program at Chatham House, shortly before Sep 1 protests.
US President Joe Biden said he was “devastated and outraged” by the hostage deaths, but told reporters he was “still optimistic” a deal could be reached
