Union Leader Vows to ‘Halt’ Israel’s Economy as Protesters Demand Ceasefire

The leader of Israel’s largest trade union, the Histadrut, vowed to “halt” the country’s economy on Sunday as protesters demanded a ceasefire in Gaza.

It’s been nearly a year since Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack in Israel’s history, killing 1,200 and taking some 250 hostages on October 7, 2023. Israel subsequently launched a military operation in Gaza that has left over 40,000 Palestinians dead and the region’s infrastructure in ruins.

Early Sunday, Israel said it recovered the bodies of six hostages, causing an uproar among Israelis who believe a ceasefire deal is the only way to secure the release of the remaining hostages. Israel now believes 101 hostages remain in Gaza, including 35 who are thought to be dead. Over 100 hostages were released during a temporary ceasefire in November.

Later on Sunday, the Histadrut announced a general strike that will begin Monday, in hopes that the major disruption it will likely cause to Israel’s economy, including its banks, health care system and the country’s main airport, Ben Gurion Airport, will pressure the government into reaching a ceasefire deal with Hamas to bring back the remaining hostages.

“This afternoon, I made the decision to halt the Israeli economy from tomorrow morning onward,” Histadrut labor federation chairman Arnon Bar-David said during a mass protest in Tel Aviv. “I’m here to fight so that no one gets left behind! Jews don’t abandon Jews, what’s unclear about that?”

He added: “It makes no sense that our children will die in tunnels because of political considerations!”

The Histadrut’s strike will be the first of its kind since Hamas’ initial attack on Israel.

Joel Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for House Affairs during the Obama administration, told Newsweek via telephone on Sunday afternoon that the Histadrut’s strike “can be another blow” to Israel’s economy, which has already suffered from the ongoing war.

However, the political impact of the strike remains unclear. Rubin explained that the Histadrut is “not at the core of the governing coalition’s constituencies. So there’s this paradox that [the strike] will have a lot of impact on the daily life of the country, but will it have an impact on the direct constituencies of the governing coalition? Not so clear.”

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been working with Israel and Hamas for months to hash out a ceasefire deal, but neither side has formally agreed to anything.

Many blame Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has called for the total elimination of Hamas for failing to reach a ceasefire deal. Meanwhile, Netanyahu has pointed the finger at Hamas for stalling negotiations, saying “whoever murders hostages doesn’t want a deal.”

When asked how much blame should be pinned on Netanyahu for stalled negotiations, Rubin said, “There are two partners in this negotiation,” referring to Hamas and Israel.

He did point out reports of trouble inside Netanyahu’s cabinet that could hurt a possible ceasefire deal. Netanyahu’s defense minister Yoav Gallant reportedly got into a screaming match with the prime minister on Thursday over Netanyahu’s demands that the Israeli military stay fully developed on the Egypt-Gaza border.

However, Rubin said that “the blame is always at Hamas’ feet. They started this war.”

Newsweek has reached out to Netanyahu’s office via online form and the Histadrut via email for comment on Sunday afternoon.

Three of the six hostages recently found dead, including Israeli AmericanHersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, were reportedly supposed to be released in the first phase of a ceasefire proposal discussed in July.

“There was agreement on Hersh because he was wounded, also on Carmel [Gat, 40] and Eden [Yerushalmi, 24],” an unnamed Israeli official told English-language Israeli news outlet Ynet on Sunday.

The three other deceased hostages were identified as Alexander Lobanov, 33; Almog Sarusi, 27 and Ori Danino, 25.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid, a centrist, voiced support for a strike, saying, “They were alive. Netanyahu and the cabinet of death decided not to save them.”

There was also hope of an imminent ceasefire during negotiations in August.

President Joe Biden said in a statement on August 16 that he directed his negotiating team in Doha, Qatar, “to put forward the comprehensive bridging proposal presented today, which offers the basis for coming to a final agreement on a ceasefire and hostage release deal.”

Egypt and Qatar expressed “strong support” for the proposal, Biden said. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on August 19 that Israel accepted the proposal.

“The next important statement is for Hamas to say yes, and then, in the coming days, for all of the expert negotiators to get together to work on clear understandings on implementing the agreement,” Blinken said at a press conference in Tel Aviv.