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Israeli embassy in Switzerland closes in government protest

Israeli embassy in Bern
The Israeli embassy in the Swiss capital, Bern (archive picture) has closed until further notice to join a strike against its own government. Keystone/Peter Schneider

Israeli diplomats in Switzerland have joined a general strike against a plan for a judicial reform by their government.

The embassy in the Swiss capital, Bern, has closed until further notice, the Keystone-SDA news agency said on Monday quoting the embassy’s press service.

The Israeli mission to the United Nations in the city of Geneva also said it was closed.

Israeli diplomats have been instructed to stop all ongoing activities and meetings, according to a workers’ union letter published by several foreign news agencies.

The Histadrut, Israel’s largest trade union, had earlier ordered all government employees, including those in the diplomatic service, to go on strike.

In Israel, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets on Sunday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defence minister. He had spoken out against controversial plans to overhaul the justice system.

Many shops remained closed on Monday because of the general strike and hardly any plane took off from Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.

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