JERUSALEM (JTA) — The employees of Israel’s foreign and defense ministries around the world have gone on strike.
The strike means that there are no consular services both in Israel and abroad. It also means that all border crossings between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza are closed, Ynet reported.
The sudden strike comes after Israel’s finance ministry canceled a regular allowance for diplomats and ordered them to pay retroactive funds if they cannot provide receipts for expenses.
The foreign ministry also claims the treasury reneged on recent agreements on representation fees, and now demands retroactive refunds worth thousands of shekels from ambassadors who cannot provide receipts for their expenses, Ynet reported.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.