Live blog update| Israeli judicial crisis
This is an entry from: Live: Netanyahu delays judicial overhaul after strikes cripple Israel

Ben-Gurion airport shut down

27 March 2023 09:34 BST

One of the first unions to respond to calls for a general strike was the aviation union, which said on Monday that no planes would be allowed to leave or land from Ben-Gurion airport.

Ben-Gurion, located near Lydda, also known as Lod, is Israel's most important artery. Some 73,000 people were expected to travel through it on Monday alone.

Earlier this month, protesters massed on the road outside the airport, forcing US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin to hold meetings and a news conference there because he was unable to leave.

A man walks towards the departures area of Ben Gurion Airport as demonstrators block the main road on 9 March (AFP)
A man walks towards the departures area of Ben Gurion Airport as demonstrators block the main road on 9 March (AFP)

"There are no more departures. I call on the prime minister to stop and delay everything until after the holidays," said Pinchas Idan, head of the aviation union.

"As a Likud member I am telling you: you must stop the way you are leading us, if you really are. I am also calling on Yariv Levin to stop. Only through dialogue can we accomplish anything."