Israel judicial reforms: After chaos on streets, Ben Gurion airport goes in lockdown as labour strike work

Tel Aviv: Is Israel heading towards a civil war? The latest turn of events in Benjamin Netanyahu-led country indicates so. The head of Histadrut union of Monday announced a “historic” labour strike in an attempt to “stop the madness” of the government’s controversial judicial overhaul. The strike that will begin as soon as today (27 March), will also include the health sector. “I am calling a general strike from the moment this press conference ends, the State of Israel stops,” Histadrut union chairman Arnon Bar-David said in a televised address. ‘Worried about Israel’s fate’ Arnon said expressed worry over Israel’s fate. “Together we say, enough!” he added. “We have lost our way — this is not about left or right. We can no longer polarise the nation,” Arnon said in his address in a room filled with top business leaders and public officials including hospital heads. “I did everything I could over the past weeks to stop the situation,” Arnon said, adding that the efforts were in vain. “We are all joining hands to shut down the State of Israel. The malls and the factories will close,” he said. During his statement, Arnon was often cheered and the audience shouted “De-mo-cra-cy.” He also received a standing ovation at the end of his speech. Ben Gurion Airport halts departures Minutes after Arnon’s announcement of “historic” labour strike, the head of the workers union at Ben Gurion Airport declared an immediate halt to departures. “I ordered the immediate halt of takeoffs at the airport,” says Pinchas Idan. The airport workers union is the first to take action. Meanwhile, Jewish Agency Chairman Doron Almog joined the chorus of prominent personalities calling to halt legislation advancing the government’s judicial overhaul. “Israel is in an unprecedented state of national emergency. An intensifying social rift, and a growing security threat from around us. Our people’s unity is more important than any legislation. Such legislation should come to an immediate halt,” Almog wrote in a letter. Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the judiciary has been facing backlash with the country’s ceremonial president Isaac Herzog urging the government for an immediate halt to the legal changes. “For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of responsibility, I call on you to stop the legislative process immediately,” President Herzog tweeted. The mounting resistance to the plan came mere hours after tens of thousands of people took to the streets to express their anger at the Israeli PM’s decision to fire his defence minister Yoav Gallant for challenging his judicial overhaul plan. Gallant had made a televised appeal for the government to halt its flagship overhaul of the judicial system, warning that the deep split it had opened up in Israeli society was affecting the military and threatening national security. Netanyahu suspends TV statement Netanyahu who was expected to make a televised statement on Monday morning announcing the plans had now suspended it. Reports earlier said Netanyahu would suspend the overhaul, which has ignited some of Israel’s biggest-ever demonstrations and drew an intervention by the head of state. Barely three months after assuming power, Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition has been facing wrath of people for the removal of Gallant. The protests are pushing the country into crisis as the government also faces a deepening security emergency in the occupied West Bank. What Gallant said? On Saturday, Gallant, who is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, called on the Israel government to stop its plans to overhaul the judiciary. “We must stop the process in order to start a dialogue,” Gallant said in a televised speech, saying Israel’s security was at risk. Also, Israeli military leaders had criticised the proposal. After his dismissal, Gallant wrote, “The security of the State of Israel has been and will always remain my life’s mission.” In January, the Netanyahu-led Israeli government had announced the planned changes arguing they were needed to restore a balance between the executive and judicial branches, claiming that judges had become too interventionist. The judicial overhaul would give the government sway in choosing judges and limit the Supreme Court’s power to strike down laws. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .