Israeli Embassies Worldwide Participate in Strike Against Netanyahu’s Proposed Judicial Reforms

Israel’s largest trade union, Histadrut, has called for a strike among government employees, including diplomats at Israeli missions around the world, in protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the judiciary. The move has reportedly affected ambassadors and consuls-general. The protests centre on a proposed law that would give the governing coalition the final say over all judicial appointments and grant parliament the power to overturn Supreme Court decisions and limit judicial review of laws. Netanyahu and his allies argue that the measures would restore balance between the judicial and executive branches, but opponents say they would remove Israel’s system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of the governing coalition.