The main Israeli labor union began a general strike on Wednesday. The strike shut down airports, government offices and some hospitals. The strike is over the treatment and pay of nonunion contract workers, and is the first general strike in about five years. Negotiations, which broke down over the night, are expected to resume while the strike continues. The national labor court is expected to limit the length of the strike.
See "Israeli Union Starts a National General Strike", Ethan Bronner, The New York Times, February 7, 2012