Israeli finance minister asks attorney general to submit request to courts to halt strike

Israeli finance minister asks attorney general to submit request to courts to halt strike

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has asked the country's attorney general to submit an urgent request to courts to block a planned nationwide strike on Monday that aims to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to bring back Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.

In his letter to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Smotrich argued that a strike had no legal basis since it aimed to improperly influence significant policy decisions of politicians on issues related to state security.

He also said that a broad strike - which would shut the country including outgoing flights - has significant economic consequences which would cause unnecessary economic damage in wartime.

The call for a one-day general strike by Arnon Bar-David, whose Histadrut union represents hundreds of thousands of workers, was backed by Israel's main manufacturers and entrepreneurs in the high-tech sector. The stoppage would begin at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT).

There was no immediate response from Baharav-Miara.