New Delhi: The Embassy of Israel in New Delhi was closed Monday following calls for a strike issued by Israel’s largest labour union in response to controversial judicial reforms proposed by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, sources in the embassy confirmed to ThePrint.
On Monday, Histadrut — Israel’s largest labour union — instructed all government employees to go on strike, including those attached with diplomatic missions. As a result, no consular services will be provided at Israeli embassies around the world until further notice. Spokespersons from other missions, such as Elad Strohmayer from the embassy in the US, have confirmed that they too have closed their doors until further notice.
Sources in the Embassy of Israel in New Delhi could not confirm how long the embassy would be closed but said that they were compelled to follow instructions from the Histadrut and that “sentiments” are high in Israel.
The bilateral relationship between Israel and India is unlikely to be impacted given the “bonhomie between Netanyahu and PM Modi” but recent developments have “definitely cast a heavy shadow” on Israel’s image in the UK, France, Germany and the US, said diplomatic sources in Israel.
Protests have been raging in Israel since 7 January, when Netanyahu’s far-right coalition government began floating plans to curb the powers of the country’s Supreme Court. The proposed judicial reforms seek to give the Israeli Parliament — the Knesset — the power to overrule decisions of the country’s apex court with a simple majority vote.
The proposed reforms have elicited a strong reaction from a large number of Israelis who fear they will weaken the judiciary and hurt the democratic framework of the country. Earlier this month, about half a million Israelis took to the streets in various cities across the country in what were termed as the biggest mass protests in Israel’s history.
According to Israeli journalist Lev Aran, Netanyahu’s domestic policies now seem to be denting Israel’s diplomacy. “I think Netanyahu returning to power last November was a big merit for our foreign policy in many countries, including India,” he told ThePrint over the phone.
“But now, with some members of his own party opposing these judicial reforms, the charisma and magic he (Netanyahu) had as a politician seems to be under question. The loss of this charisma, coupled with Histadrut’s strike, will have a big impact on our diplomacy too,” he added.
On Sunday, Netanyahu dismissed his defence minister Yoav Gallant after the latter — a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party — broke ranks to say that the government should withdraw the proposed judicial reforms. This prompted protests outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem and demonstrations near the defense ministry in support of Gallant.
Netanyahu is also likely to face pressure from his own coalition partners, given that Otzma Yehudit leader and police minister Itamar Ben Gvir has reportedly threatened to quit the coalition government if the judicial reforms are halted.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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