Israel embassy in India goes on strike, protest against overhaul of justice system

New Delhi: The protest against the controversial judicial reforms introduced by Israel's government has reached India. The Israeli embassy in India is participating in a strike called by its labour union.

An official statement released this evening said: "The Histadrut, Israel's largest labour union, instructed all government employees to go on strike, including Israel's diplomatic missions around the world. The embassy of Israel will be closed today until further notice and no consular services will be provided," reported AFP.

Thousands of Israelis have been protesting in the streets against the overhaul of the justice system proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his hard-right allies. He yesterday sacked his defence minister who disagreed with the administration on the issue. President Issac Herzog has also been urging that the reform be stopped. "For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel... I call on you to halt the legislative process immediately," he said in a statement.

The coalition government has maintained that the changes are necessary to rebalance the powers between lawmakers and the judiciary. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also said that the reforms will "correct the judicial system" and "improve democracy".

Israel's top trade union chief Arnon Bar-David today in a televised address called for a "general strike". He said the people have a mission to "stop this legislative process". He also vowed to continue to fight against the reforms which will weaken the powers of the judiciary and pose a threat to democracy.

The Israel Medical Association also announced a "full strike in the health system". This will affect all public hospitals. The flights at Ben Gurion International Airport were also affected by the strike. Tens of thousands of travellers are expected to be affected. Turkey’s national flag carrier Turkish Airlines cancelled flights between Istanbul and Tel Aviv due to the political crisis. Ports, malls, and food chains are among the sectors joining the strike.

Earlier on Monday, there were reports that Netanyahu will announce a halt to the plans. He has been in talks with members of his administration.