Israeli finance minister threatens to block labor strike

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to seek immediate injunctions to prevent tomorrow’s planned general strike.

In a letter to Baharav-Miara, Smotrich argues that the strike is “clearly political and lacks any legal basis,” according to a report by The Times of Israel.

He contends that the strike was declared to improperly influence diplomatic and national security matters, which he claims fall under the jurisdiction of the political echelon and should not be subject to labour strikes.

Smotrich also points out that there was no advance notice of the strike and that it was organised without labour leaders having full access to national security information. He warns that allowing such a strike could set a dangerous precedent.