Families of hostages urgently demand a national strike as Israel readies for intensified warfare
The Israeli labor union, Histadrut, has decided not to join the nationwide general strike called by the families of Israeli hostages in Gaza, protesting the Israeli security cabinet's decision to expand the war in the region.
The strike, initiated as a grassroots effort, is gaining momentum with hundreds of companies and thousands of citizens planning to participate next Sunday, according to the October 7 Council. The call for the strike was made by the families of the hostages in Tel Aviv, joined by the October 7 Council, which represents bereaved families of soldiers who fell at the start of the war.
The families have expressed concern that the new military move could endanger the living hostages and sentence them to death. They have appealed to the heads of the economic and labor industries, warning that their silence is killing their children.
Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition, has stated that the call for a general strike by the hostage families is justified and appropriate. Yair Golan, the chairman of the Democrats party, has announced that his party will join the strike and called on all Israeli citizens to participate.
However, Arnon Bar-David, the Histadrut leader, stated that although he personally feels anger and sadness, he believes the strike would have no practical impact on influencing the war or securing the hostages' release. Despite this, Bar-David has committed to encouraging management and worker committees to let employees join protest events if they wish, but the union as a whole is not officially supporting the strike.
The Histadrut's stance contrasts with the call by the Hostage Families Forum and other groups urging Israelis to join the strike nationwide, warning against continued military escalation in Gaza that could endanger hostages and soldiers.
It is important to note that the Histadrut has staged a previous general strike in support of the hostages' families. However, during the previous strike, the Israeli government blasted the Histadrut's actions as political and moved to halt it through a labor court injunction.
The families are scheduled to meet with Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David on Monday in an attempt to convince him to join forces. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether the Histadrut will change its position on the nationwide general strike.
[1] Histadrut declines to join proposed nationwide general strike: report [2] Families of Israeli hostages call for general strike in protest of war expansion [3] Histadrut to encourage employees to join protest events but not officially support strike [4] Israeli opposition leaders endorse general strike initiative in support of hostage families [5] Previous general strike by Histadrut in support of hostages' families met with government opposition [6] Families of Israeli hostages in Gaza plan nationwide general strike in protest of war expansion and government's decision to take over Gaza City [7] Anat Angrest, mother of a hostage being held in Gaza, appeals to the heads of the economic and labor industries [8] Israeli government criticizes Histadrut's actions during previous strike as political [9] Histadrut to meet with families of Israeli hostages in Gaza on Monday in attempt to convince union to join forces
- The middle east, currently embroiled in war-and-conflicts, continues to raise concerns as the families of Israeli hostages in Gaza call for a nationwide general strike, protesting the Israeli government's decision to expand the war.
- The world has taken note of the unfolding politics in the middle east as various Israeli labor industries engage in discussions, with the Histadrut Leader, Arnon Bar-David, speaking out about their stance on the proposed general strike, expressing that while they will encourage employees to join protest events, the union will not officially support the action.
