‘We won’t allow the government to defy High Court decisions,’ says labor union head
Arnon Bar-David did not confirm that the union would join a general strike
Histadrut Labor Union chairman Arnon Bar-David on Wednesday threatened determined action by the biggest union in the country if the government were to defy a High Court ruling to strike down a law, Israeli media reported.
Such a situation, which has been described as a constitutional crisis, would be "crossing all the lines,” Bar-David said.
"As far as I'm concerned, this is breaking precedent, in every meaning. We will not allow such a constitutional crisis to occur, and we will not sit on the sidelines," Bar-David told a group of business leaders.
The labor union head did not explicitly state whether the union would join a general strike.
According to Ynet news, an activist group is trying to put together a broad coalition of businesses, medical and academic institutions to announce in advance that they would immediately begin a general strike if Netanyahu's coalition ignores a court ruling,
Leaders of the protest movement against the judicial reform lauded Bar-David’s comments.
“We are in gloomy times when the heads of the security establishment, senior figures in the economy and the chairman of the Histadrut are required to clarify what is obvious in any well-run country — the government, every government, is obliged to act in accordance with the law and court decisions,” they said in a joint statement.
The fear of a constitutional crisis has been discussed shortly after the judicial reform was first announced, however, the issue has intensified in recent weeks, after the passing of the Reasonableness Law.
Following the passing of the law, multiple petitions to strike it down were submitted to the High Court, which set the date for the hearing to Sept. 12, with all 15 High Court justices participating.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to give a straight answer when asked if he would respect a ruling against the law, while some of the coalition ministers have stated outright that they would ignore it.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant responded by stating that Israel is "a country of democratic law" and would "act according to the law."
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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