Histadrut Chairman: Calls For Urgent Elections, An End To The Fighting – To Bring Back The Hostages.

Yesterday, Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David talked at the Herzliya Conference about Israel’s pressing issues.

Relating to the Israeli government, he said: “The government’s actions have polarized Israeli society. It has divided and torn us apart and created camps. Now, we need to get out of this situation. We need to find solutions and make decisions. No one is making decisions. The Prime Minister is not running the country, and I cannot understand where he is taking us.”

“…critical steps that need to be taken to rehabilitate the country right now: advance the elections with a date that is acceptable to everyone, end the fighting to bring back the hostages…”

The Histadrut chairman added: “We are in a historic period that began last year with the moves to change the justice system. I see a direct line from last year to this year. The writing was on the wall even then. We felt that we were heading for a terrible period after ‘Galant Night’ and towards a very dangerous event for the State of Israel. The October 7th attack is a direct continuation of the last year and a half, which have been characterized by the government’s reckless management in all parameters.”

He also reiterated his call for immediate elections: “Early elections must be called urgently… A decision to hold elections will calm the public in Israel. The Prime Minister must understand that he is the Prime Minister of everyone, not half the country, and the only way to calm the situation is to hold elections. This move will help rehabilitate the State of Israel, bring back the hostages, and return our displaced people from the north and south to their homes.”

On the High Court’s ruling, he said: “[It] is historic and important. We need to read the decision in full and see the numbers, but this is a ruling that the entire public, from right to left, must demand that the government enforce. Alongside respecting Torah scholars, it is our duty to build military strength. The State of Israel needs fighters now.”

Bar-David addressed calls to strike the economy, saying that “I am not a strike contractor for anyone. We exercised our power in the past on the night of Defense Minister Galant’s firings, which was a cosmic event. If there is another such situation, we will act. At this moment, putting the economy on strike will not bring results and will not bring back our hostages.”

The Histadrut chairman concluded his remarks at the conference by saying that “there are a number of critical steps that need to be taken to rehabilitate the country right now: advance the elections with a date that is acceptable to everyone, end the fighting to bring back the hostages, reach a political settlement with Saudi Arabia and urgently normalize political relations with the United States, as strategic moves against Iran await us. After we have settled all of these, we can restart the State of Israel.