Sources within the Histadrut labor federation warn that the refusal of chairman Arnon Bar-David to step aside while under criminal investigation is causing cumulative organizational damage, according to union sources. Pressure for him to resign has grown in recent months as local workers' committees increasingly abandon the umbrella union, but the sources say those efforts have not succeeded so far.
Sources within the Histadrut labor federation — which represents over 700,000 unionized workers in Israel — say the leadership crisis is deepening. Chairman Arnon Bar-David, who has faced a criminal probe for months, is reportedly resisting calls to resign despite a steady erosion of support from local workers' committees.
The sources, who spoke to Israeli media, described what they called "cumulative damage" to the organization as unions defect amid the prolonged standoff. Efforts to persuade or pressure Bar-David to step down have so far failed, the sources say. The probe's exact scope was not specified in the report.
The Histadrut, a pillar of Israel's labor landscape, has been in internal turmoil since the investigation became public. Bar-David has not publicly addressed the calls for his resignation.
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