Main Israeli airport flights halt amidst strikes

Departing flights from Israel’s main international airport, Ben-Gurion, have been halted on Monday, as a nationwide strike protests against the government’s judicial reform. Planes are allowed to land at the airport.

The strike was called by the country’s largest trade union group, Histadrut, which represents 700,000 workers in health, transit and banking, against Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to overhaul the judiciary, and could have a large impact on the Israeli economy.

The strike came after tens of thousands of people stormed the country’s streets to protest Netanyahu firing his defense minister after calling for a pause to the overhaul. The protestors lit bonfires on Tel Aviv’s main highway and closed it for hours.