The hard-right regime of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi "Bomb Bomb" Netanyahu is facing a nationwide general strike today after the killing of six hostages in Rafah, with angry calls for him to negotiate a hostage deal and establish an immediate cease fire in Gaza. Netanyahu has resisted calls for a cease fire, as negotiations for the release of hostages have stalled. From CNN:
"The country’s largest labor union, known as Histadrut, threatened to shut down the 'entire' economy, with its chairman Arnon Bar-David warning on Sunday that Israel was 'in a downward spiral, and we don’t stop receiving body bags.'
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport halted departures and arrivals of flights for just over two hours starting at 8 a.m. local time (1 a.m. ET), though flights later resumed.
The general strike is the largest in Israel since March 2023, when a similar mass walkout over Netanyahu’s controversial attempts to overhaul the country’s judiciary brought much of the economy to a standstill.
This round of strikes was set to run from Monday morning until the early evening. It reflects growing anger toward Netanyahu, who has been accused by critics of stalling efforts for a deal by some hostage families and their supporters." (our emphasis)
Netanyahu has claimed that he wants to destroy the military arm of Hamas before a cease fire is established, while critics say his motivation relates more to holding on to his job as a "wartime Prime Minister." He faced withering criticism for not being prepared for the October 7 Hamas attack which triggered the attack on Gaza.
Whether the general strike today will cause any shift in Israel's position regarding a hostage deal and a cease fire is doubtful, but public sentiment against Netanyahu is clearly on the rise, and as more hostages are killed by their captors, the anger against him will spread.
(photo: Thousands protest Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. Oren Alon/Reuters)
