The strike by the Histadrut umbrella group, which represents more than 700,000 workers in health, transit and banking, among many other fields, could paralyze large parts of Israel's economy, which is already on shaky ground, ratcheting up the pressure on Netanyahu to suspend the overhaul.
ADVERTISEMENTPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to overhaul the judiciary was facing mounting opposition on Monday, prompting the country's largest trade union group to launch a general strike.
Netanyahu has called emergency talks with coalition leaders and local media is reporting the leader is expected to halt the reform.
The strike by the Histadrut umbrella group, which represents more than 700,000 workers in health, transit and banking, among many other fields, could paralyze large parts of Israel's economy, which is already on shaky ground, ratcheting up the pressure on Netanyahu to suspend the overhaul.
“Where are we leading our beloved Israel? To the abyss,” Arnon Bar-David, the union group head, said in a rousing speech to applause. “Today we are stopping everyone's descent toward the abyss.” The group had sat out the monthslong protests but the defence minister's firing appeared to provide the impetus for the drastic measure.
President Isaac Herzog also urged Netanyahu to immediately halt the overhaul, calling on the government to put aside political considerations for the sake of the nation.
“The entire nation is rapt with deep worry. Our security, economy, society — all are under threat," he said. “Wake up now!”
These latest developments follow another night of protest across Israel, with tens of thousands of people bursting into the streets around the country on Sunday in a spontaneous show of anger at Netanyahu’s decision to fire Israel's defence minister after he called for the changes to be halted. Water cannons have been used by the police against protesters overnight.
Departures from Tel Aviv international airport have been grounded and universities across the country have closed down “until further notice” in protest at the government's insistence to push forward on the plan.
Domestic crisis
The legal reforms have sparked one of Israel’s gravest domestic crises, drawing widespread opposition from business leaders, legal officials and even the country’s military.
An uneasy calm returned to the country's streets on Monday after a raucous night of protests where tens of thousands of demonstrators lit bonfires on Tel Aviv's main highway, blocking the major throughway as well as others throughout the country.
Netanyahu’s dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant appeared to signal that the prime minister and his allies will barrel ahead this week with the overhaul plan.
Gallant had been the first senior member of the ruling Likud party to speak out against it, saying the deep divisions were threatening to weaken the military.
Israel’s Consul General in New York Asaf Zamir resigned on Sunday, days after he was summoned by the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem for warning US Jewish donors against the government's plans.
Netanyahu pushing ahead with reform
Netanyahu’s government still appeared to be forging on with a parliamentary vote this week on a centrepiece of the overhaul — a law that would give the governing coalition the final say over all judicial appointments.
It also seeks to pass laws that would grant parliament the authority to overturn Supreme Court decisions and limit judicial review of laws.
Netanyahu and his allies say the plan will restore a balance between the judicial and executive branches and rein in what they see as an interventionist court with liberal sympathies.
But critics say the laws will remove Israel’s system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of the governing coalition.
They also say that Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, has a conflict of interest.