Maariv reported today (17/10/1404) that the Histadrut (the largest labor federation of the Zionist regime), along with other unions, has announced an open-ended general strike starting Monday. The move comes in protest against the pension reforms proposed by the Netanyahu government, which would raise the retirement age for women from 62 to 67 and for men from 67 to 70, while cutting pension fund benefits by 20 percent.

The unions have described the plan as “theft from the pockets of exhausted workers,” claiming that the government is sacrificing pensions in order to finance a military budget of 100 billion shekels. Arnon Bar-David, Secretary-General of the Histadrut, shouted at a heated press conference: “Millions of workers are not willing to be sacrificed; a strike is inevitable!”

The strike is expected to shut down the ports of Haifa and Ashdod, Ben-Gurion Airport, public transportation, and even hospitals, potentially inflicting daily losses of up to 1 billion shekels on the regime’s economy. This crisis is unfolding at a time when inflation stands at 4.5 percent and youth unemployment has reached 12 percent, further inflaming social tensions.

The government, however, insists that the reforms are “necessary to ensure the sustainability of public debt, which has reached 120 percent of GDP.” Opposition leaders, including Yair Lapid, have condemned the measures as “an attack on the middle class.” A Maariv poll shows that 68 percent of workers support the strike.

The history of strikes in the Zionist regime is fraught with consequences: the 2011 general strike led to a doubling of inflation. Experts warn that this new wave of labor unrest could result in the collapse of the government and push the economy into recession. The Histadrut has given the government a 48-hour ultimatum, warning that failure to respond will result in widespread labor turmoil.