Netanyahu Files Petition to Oust Airport Union Chief, Calls Thursday's Ben-Gurion Strike 'Political and Illegal'

What happened

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu filed a petition with the Likud Party Court on Friday seeking to expel the chairman of the Israel Airports Authority workers' committee. The petition targeted a strike at Ben-Gurion International Airport that took place on Thursday.

The petition described the strike as "political and illegal," alleging it was intended to harm Transportation Minister Miri Regev and Netanyahu himself while boosting the opposition. The work stoppage caused hours of chaos at the airport, with its effects still being felt on Friday. The strike is estimated to have caused up to $9 million in damages.

Industry impact & what to watch

Labor actions at a country's principal gateway airport carry outsized consequences because a single terminal handles the bulk of national air traffic, meaning any work stoppage there disrupts far more passengers and flights than a strike at a secondary field would.

Airport workforces organized under a single committee can bring an entire hub to a standstill quickly, and disputes that become entangled with national politics tend to draw in officials well beyond the airport's own management, complicating a fast resolution.

What happens to the workers' committee chairman inside the Likud Party Court process, and whether further labor action follows at Ben-Gurion, will determine whether this dispute settles quickly or extends into further disruption.