Israeli Embassies Around the World Go on Strike Against Netanyahu’s Judicial Overhaul

The Histadrut national labour union, Israel’s largest trade union on Monday said diplomats at Israeli missions around the world are also striking against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu government’s plan to overhaul the judiciary.

A spokesperson for Israel’s Embassy in the United States confirmed the shutdown until further notice. “Today (3/27), the Histadrut, Israel’s largest labor union, instructed all government employees to go on strike, including Israel’s diplomatic missions around the world. The Embassy of Israel will be closed today until further notice and no consular services will be provided,” Elad Strohmayer said in a post on Twitter.

In India, the Israel embassy in New Delhi will remain shut and will provide no consular service as part following a call from the Histadrut for a strike.

According to Yaniv Levy, the spokesman for Histadrut, only emergency services are being provided by the missions. The strike has reportedly affected ambassadors and consuls-general.

Unverified reports in the local media, quoting sources in Netanyahu’s Likud party, have said that the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going to freeze the Judicial blitz that has completely paralysed the nation with widespread strikes across all walks of life.

What are the Protests About?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government appeared to be pushing ahead for a parliamentary vote this week on a centerpiece of the overhaul of 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.

However, the move is criticised saying 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

Workers from across a range of fields went on strike Monday, in a bid to ramp up pressure on Prime Minister to scrap the overhaul plan.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday called on protesters “to behave responsibly and refrain from violence”, as citizens from across the country gather in Jerusalem to demonstrate against the government’s controversial plan. The protest has gained support from workers in various sectors.

Netanyahu’s appeal came hours after President Isaac Herzog Monday appealed to him to immediately halt his controversial judicial overhaul, warning that the move has put the country’s security, economy and society under threat.

President Herzog’s remarks came after thousands of protesters burst into the streets in anger over Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to sack his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for opposing his judicial reforms.

Netanyahu’s dismissal of Defense Minister 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 judicial overhaul “poses a clear, immediate, and tangible threat to the security of the state”

An unconfirmed Channel 12 report said that 600,000-700,000 Israelis were demonstrating late on Sunday across the country, with protests reported from Kiryat Shmona in the north to Eilat in the south.

(With inputs from agencies)

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