All Israeli foreign missions closed: Foreign Ministry employees declare general strike

Foreign Ministry employees declared a general strike on Sunday, following two weeks of renewed sanctions. The strike closed down the country’s foreign missions and totally paralyzed the Israeli diplomatic system. For the first time in the history of the State of Israel, 103 Israeli missions abroad will be completely closed for an indefinite period of time, as will the Foreign Ministry’s headquarters in Jerusalem. The strike was called in protest of the employment conditions of Israeli diplomats and the Finance Ministry’s decision to cut their salaries over the renewed sanctions.

 "On Strike," the Embassy of Israel in Thailand (Photo: Foreign Ministry's workers' union)

“On Strike,” the Embassy of Israel in Thailand (Photo: Foreign Ministry’s workers’ union)

The Foreign Ministry’s workers’ union informed all employees in Israel and abroad by email and text messages that the general strike would begin at 3 P.M. on Sunday and instructed them to leave their workplaces immediately.  “Foreign Ministry headquarters will be closed to all activities. All workers in all positions are ordered to stay away from the office,” the committee said in a statement to all workers. “Israeli missions abroad will be closed as of Monday, March 24. All workers in all positions are ordered to stay away from the missions.” “The strike has no time limit and will continue as long as necessary,” the message to all ministry workers stated. “We instruct all employees to obey these instructions as written. We will be strong and together we will achieve our goals.”

Foreign Ministry sources said that the missions abroad would be completely closed and that security officers were instructed to prevent entrance to all, including officials from the defense ministry, the Israel Defense Forces, the Mossad, Shin Bet security service and other government ministries.  The Jerusalem headquarters will be locked over the course of the strike and entry will be denied to extreme-right Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin and Director-General Nissim Ben-Sheetrit.  “The Treasury has declared a war-to-the-death against the Foreign Ministry of the State of Israel,” said Ya’akov Frumer, chairman of the Foreign Ministry workers committee.

The labor dispute at the Foreign Ministry, which reached its climax over the summer and ended in mediation with the Finance Ministry, resumed this month with diplomats charging that Treasury representatives had failed to take the process seriously and had submitted “recycled” proposals that failed to solve the long-standing problems.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced last week to cancel what his office termed a “historic” visit to Latin America planned for April, after his bureau encountered many difficulties in making the necessary arrangements due to the diplomats’ sanctions, which include a blanket refusal to help cabinet ministers organize trips abroad.

The diplomats also refused to handle British Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit last week (though he came anyway), and are now refusing to cooperate on preparations for the pope’s visit to Israel in May. A Vatican delegation that was supposed to have visited Israel to work on the arrangements canceled its trip as a result, and it is now uncertain whether the pope’s visit will take place. The diplomats have also stopped handling political appointments to ambassadorships, issuing diplomatic passports, transmitting diplomatic cables to intelligence and defense agencies, promoting economic and trade agreements and engaging in public diplomacy. In addition, the diplomats have severed contact with UN institutions in New York, Geneva and Vienna, refusing even to attend Security Council debates or participate in votes. Consequently, Israel’s UN mission lodged no complaint with the UN sanctions committee on Iran over the capture of the Iranian arms ship, and without such a complaint, no international investigation can be opened on the matter.

“Israeli diplomats are on strike around the world – including in London – as part of a year-long dispute to restore the value of their wages and address discriminatory tax and pension arrangements (as well as other issues),” said on Monday TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady and sent a message of solidarity to the unions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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