"The way to bring back hostages is to halt negotiations with Hamas. The strike is endangering their lives," stated Rabbi Shimon Or on Monday morning. His nephew, Avinatan Or, is held captive by Hamas in Gaza. Rabbi Or, who successfully filed a petition with the Labor Court against the strike declared on Sunday by the General Federation of Labor Chairman Arnon Bar-David, told Ynet that "he is contributing to the hostages' peril. Hamas and Sinwar see the demonstrations and become more intransigent. What will we achieve? Sinwar will not relent; he will murder ten more hostages."
Rabbi Or, a member of the Tikva Forum, which unites families of hostages who support the government's position and oppose the deal, added: "There will be no deal with Hamas. He (the General Federation of Labor Chairman) thinks differently, which is his right, but it has nothing to do with the General Federation of Labor. He is responsible for workers' welfare, not a political strategist. He is not supposed to determine what is right for the country. He can have personal opinions, but they are unrelated to the workers.
"Hundreds of thousands of people disagree with this approach. We genuinely believe that a deal will not materialize. The General Federation of Labor Chairman is politicizing this issue. The correct path is to dismantle Hamas's governance, stop the negotiations, and inform the Gazans that there will be no Hamas the day after," he stated.
Avinatan's uncle also mentioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "afraid," in his words, to be a leader. "This reluctance to be a leader who follows a clear path and faces the public with the truth—that nothing will come of the deal—is what prevents new ways to bring the hostages back. Consequently, Hamas resorts to the terrible measures we have seen."
Similarly, Gabi Na'aman, head of the Shlomi local council, which announced it would not join the strike, opposes Bar-David's declaration: "You cannot take the law into your own hands. You cannot step into the politicians' shoes and say, 'I am the one who calls strikes.' He assumed a role that isn't his, and we will not listen; we will open the schools. He must not shut down the economy.
"He is breaking the law. We have a bully here who declares he is breaking the law. Is this the message he wants to send to us, the heads of authorities? Did he consult with any of the heads of authorities? He is the workers' leader, so he should focus on their welfare and do his job. He is harming our residents with an illegal strike," he said.
In contrast, Herzliya, a city just north of Tel Aviv, joined the now-defunct economic shutdown. Mayor Yariv Fisher told Ynet, "The method has not failed. The General Federation of Labor Chairman said very important things, and I agree with everything he said, both as a Zionist and as someone responsible for the system in Herzliya Municipality. He stated clearly, 'For 11 months, I was silent, I did nothing.' Currently, after this period, we understand that we are in an impossible situation. The war should have ended—and it has become political."
He blamed National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, saying: "They decide our lives. We are in a situation where people were murdered in captivity because of two politicians who are likely extorting the Prime Minister. I fully support the General Federation of Labor Chairman. The State of Israel is off track, and we need to return to the right path. We must regain our sanity as a nation."