Local Authorities Threaten To Join Strike Against Judicial Overhaul

The Times of Israel reports that Haim Bibas, who serves as a chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities, warned that municipalities and local councils will join trade unions in a strike against the central government's judicial overhaul as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Netanyahu to stop the legislation.

• Bibas serves as a mayor of the city of Modiin and is a senior member of Netanyahu's Likud party. He told reporters that "the rift in the people and the tremendous chaos that Israel is in has reached the point of almost no return" while urging the Premier to halt the judicial overhaul and cancel the dismissal of Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in another sign of pressure from Likud moderates.
• More organisations have joined the plea to the Prime Minister to stop the judicial overhaul. Histadrut labour federation announced plan to hold a "historic" strike, which will also include the health sector. The country's main airport has ground to a halt as a result of the strikes. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is facing a prospect of revolt from far-right coalition partners if he stops the reforms.