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SvennoJ on 02 September 2024
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Disruptions reported at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport

Israel’s Channel 12 is reporting the suspension of flights and disruptions at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport as a result of the ongoing general strike. A video shared by the channel on X shows baggage conveyor belts at a standstill and large numbers of passengers gathered around the check-in desks.

Operations at the airport are expected to face disruptions between 8am and 10am local time (05:00- 07:00 GMT). Channel 12 also cited a source at Histadrut saying the labour union is considering continuing the strike on Tuesday as well.

Protests in Israel ‘could push Netanyahu out of his corner’

Tamer Qarmout, an associate professor of public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, says the ongoing protests and strike in Israel could bring the country to a critical junction should they grow in number and threaten Netanyahu’s coalition.

“If the Histadrut joins these protests, they could grow bigger and put real pressure on the Netanyahu government,” Qarmout told Al Jazeera, referring to Israel’s main labour union which called for a general strike today.

“There is anger, there is frustration and there is also the realisation that now we are closer to a year of this war, that the goals that Netanyahu has declared are near impossible to achieve.

“Before the onset of this war, Israel was already a divided society. Now you have the likes of [Finance Minister] Smotrich – he wants to impose sanctions, he calls for these demonstrations to end.”

The US could use the demonstrations to increase pressure on the Israeli government, he argues. “We are approaching the US elections now. If the Americans are serious about exercising any leverage on Netanyahu, this could push Netanyahu out of his corner.”


Workers, civil aviation companies at Tel Aviv airport extend strike

Israeli media reports that the two-hour strike at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, originally planned for this morning, is set to continue as workers and civil aviation companies decide to prolong their action in response to a call by Israel’s main labour union Histadrut.

The union called for a nationwide general strike today following the recovery of the bodies of six captives in Gaza on Saturday, aimed at putting pressure on the government to make a deal with Hamas for the release of the remaining captives.

Israeli outlet Ynet News reported that seven flights were allowed to take off from the airport, but other scheduled flights remain grounded.


Passengers wait for flights at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv during a nationwide strike on September 2