On Monday morning, Histadrut chief Arnon Bar-David held a press conference flanked by business leaders, at which he announced that the Israeli Trades Union Organization would be holding a strike, taking effect immediately, in protest against the continued advancement of the government's judicial reform package.
"Good morning to the Israeli people on this historic day," Bar-David opened his address. "Here in this hall we have workers' representatives, alongside heads of workers' committees, Histadrut members, employers, hospital directors, heads of insurance companies and banks, and army generals. We are all concerned for the future of the Israeli people.
"It seems that something obscure is happening to all of us - we have lost our way," he continued. "It's time that we all, together, restored the State of Israel to sanity and the correct path. It's not a question of right-wing or left-wing. There's a limit to how long a person can hold out, seeing how many things are grinding to a halt, and not go out to protest. I have tried to prevent a strike but it's impossible to stand aside at the sight of this great rift.
"It's being reported that the Prime Minister has postponed his own announcement," Bar-David added. "I have a lot of patience and I'm being very nice about this, but once there's a decision made, the story's over and we're headed from here to a general strike, shutting down the entire economy."