As of 6:00 a.m. on Monday, the entire Israeli economy is on strike. Tel Aviv airport was also closed at 8:00 a.m. Everything is paralyzed with a basic demand for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the return of the hostages, which are still held by Hamas.
Yesterday’s news of the massacre of six hostages in Gaza has sparked a wave of anger against Netanyahu’s government, which has been criticized for abandoning the hostages to their fate.
The reaction of the far-right Ministry of Finance
Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has asked the country’s attorney general for an emergency injunction to prevent a planned nationwide attack.
In a letter to the Attorney General, he argued that a strike would harm the wartime economy and set a dangerous precedent. The Attorney General’s Office has not yet ruled on the request.
Earlier, Smotrich said he had instructed the Finance Ministry to pass a directive that anyone taking part in Monday’s strike would not be paid.
The nationwide general strike was called by the Histadrut, the country’s largest labor union, against which Smotrich launched a fierce attack. He said the strike lacked legal basis, arguing that it was political and intended to “unduly” influence political decisions related to state security.
“These issues are at the heart of the power of the political establishment and are not the subject of a union strike and have nothing to do with industrial relations in Israel,” Smotrich argued in the letter to the attorney general.
Flash grenades and 29 arrests
Meanwhile, Tel Aviv police used stun grenades to disperse protesters on Sunday night, according to video footage from lawmaker Naama Lazimi, who was present at the demonstration.
In video verified by CNN, police are seen throwing stun grenades at protesters blocking the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, demanding the release of hostages in Gaza.
“A stun grenade was thrown at me and my advisor,” Lazimi wrote in X. and intentionally and illegally harms public health.”
Now. נפלנו מהאשחטו והבהלה then there was another explosion that was close and almost hit us directly.
שוטרת שכלטה את החבלה מהנפילד it doesn’t mean anything. Fortunately, nothing more terrible happened than a few dry sores.
the police who take the rims out of the way…— Naama Lazimi – נעמה לזימי (@naamalazimi) September 1, 2024
He said stun grenades “were thrown in both directions, where the protesters were taken by surprise and without any warning.”
Earlier, police used water and foam cannons against protesters sitting on the Ayalon Highway, arresting 29 people.
With information from CNN, BBC