RAMALLAH, August 19 (JMCC) - Israel's foreign ministry is cutting most funding to its spy agency as payback for the Mossad's participation in a labor strike.
Hanan Goder, chairman of the State Workers’ Committee, said diplomats were withdrawing all aid to Mossad representatives, except in “life or death” situations.
The standoff began with the visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Greece, which started Monday. It’s the first time the head of an Israeli government has been to Greece, which is seen as traditionally anti-Israel. It’s also a trip in which the secret savvy of the Mossad might be useful. After all, Greek leftists — who recently brought their country to a standstill with their own ebullient form of striking — are threatening big demonstrations against Netanyahu. A number of Athens streets are shut down, particularly around the Jewish Museum, for fear of terror attacks.
Problem is, the Foreign Ministry workers had intended to use Netanyahu’s trip as a bargaining chip in their ongoing strike for increased pay. Then the Mossad stepped in to facilitate the trip — including tasks that usually fall to Foreign Ministry staff. That’s strikebreaking, and, even though Israel is barely clinging to the socialism that molded its first four or five decades, its public sector unions remain powerful and unyielding.
“It’s unacceptable that the prime minister would use another body, which is only in charge of security matters, to break a strike,” Goder said.
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