MK Gilad Kariv (Labor) called on Israel's business sector to begin preparing a general economic shutdown should the government defy a High Court ruling on the Second Authority and the State Comptroller's election. "Respect yourselves and take steps now," Kariv said Sunday evening on the program 'HaZira HaMerkazit'.
MK Gilad Kariv (Labor) issued a direct call to Israel's business leaders Sunday evening, urging them to back their public statements with concrete action and prepare for a nationwide economic shutdown if the government persists in defying the High Court of Justice.
"I expect the heads of the economy to stand behind their words," Kariv said on Kan 11's 'HaZira HaMerkazit' program, explicitly linking the call to two pending legal flashpoints: the government's refusal to abide by a High Court ruling on the Second Authority for Television and Radio, and the election of the State Comptroller. "Respect yourselves and start taking steps," he added.
The remarks follow a day in which President Isaac Herzog described the government's defiance as a 'red line' (as The Zioneer reported at 19:33), and come amid a growing chorus — including former prime ministers Ehud Barak and Naftali Bennett, and war cabinet observer Gadi Eisenkot — condemning the government's position as a threat to the rule of law. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi has defended the move as "historic and unprecedented."
Kariv's appeal is the first by a sitting MK to explicitly call for a general strike over the dispute, escalating the pressure from political figures on the business sector to become an active player in the constitutional standoff. The call's practical impact remains unverified; no business forum has responded publicly as of publication.
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Source and signal
- Internal intake