Court orders Histadrut union to end strike in solidarity with hostage release

The Bat Yam regional Labor Court Yam issued an injunction on Monday against the general strike announced by the Histadrut labor union, which was declared in solidarity with the hostage families calling for a release deal.

The petition filed by the Finance Ministry requested to prevent the strike on the grounds that it was political and, therefore, illegal. After the parties were unable to reach agreement on when to end the strike, the judge ruled that the strike would end at 2:30 p.m. During the hearing, the judge expressed great pain in a personal, tear-filled address to families of the abductees.

Following the decision, the chairman of the Histadrut, Arnon Bar-David said the rule of law is supreme in Israel, and therefore he would respect the decision.

"It is important to emphasize that the strike was an important step and I stand behind it," he said. "Despite attempts to paint solidarity in political colors, hundreds of thousands of citizens have voted with their feet," he added, referring to the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who took to the streets to protest Sunday and Monday.

"I thank each and every one of you, and I pledge to the families of the abductees that the Histadrut will continue to play a leading and central role in efforts to bring our sons and daughters home," he concluded.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the court, which "accepted our position and ruled that the Histadrut's strike is political and illegal. The workers of Israel who turned up for work today in droves proved that the days of the red notebook that enslaves workers for political needs are over. We cannot harm the Israeli economy and thereby serve the interests of Sinwar and Hamas."

Earlier, the attorney Orna Lin, on behalf of the Histadrut, argued in a court hearing that the decision was "cautious," and the union "doesn't shut down the economy at any given moment."

"We argue that due to the special circumstances, the strike is unique," she said. "It's not just about a solidarity strike and protest, but also an economic strike."

"The largest workers' organization in the country cannot sit on the fence when there is such a significant disruption in the economy," she added.

The Treasury representative argued that the request was "directed only at state employees, it's not a strike on labor relations. According to Bar David, the strike's purpose is to bring back the abductees. In my opinion, there's no connection between the strike and labor relations. It's about solidarity and the desire to support the families of the abductees. It should be noted that a solidarity strike is a time-limited strike."

Bar David stated that he was not putting a time limit on the strike.