Israeli consulate on strike

Philadelphia's Counsulate General of Israel, in solidarity with other Israeli foreign service offices around the world, is on strike due to a labor dispute between foreign-service workers and the national government. People hoping to use consular services "can't stop by right now," Philadelphia-based spokesman Alex Lipton told me. "It could take a week, it could be a month, it could be longer."

Exceptions will be made only for life-saving medical emergencies or, "God forbid, in case a body needs to be sent back for burial in Israel," Deputy Consul General Elad Strohmayer told me. "My family is visiting me; I told them not to lose their passports," he added.

The labor dispute adds a level to the previous debate (noted here in the Jerusalem Post last fall) of whether Israel should use its diplomats as political propaganda and fundraising centers to rally supporters of Israel (in which case it would keep its Philadelphia consulate open), or in the more traditional consular role of trade development centers (in which case it would close the consulates in Philly and other regional centers to fund new offices in, for example, China). Israel is one of a handful of nations -- others are Mexico, Italy and Chile -- that still maintain fulltime consular staff in Philadelphia, 214 years after it ceased being the national capital.

From the consular emplyees' public statement: "Under these sanctions Israel's diplomats will no longer engage with foreign representatives, take care of official visits of any kind, either in Israel or overseas, issue visas or provide any consular services. This is just part of an extended list of organizational measures which will take effect immediately.

"Israel's diplomatic corps was left with no other choice but to ratchet up its year-long labor dispute with the Ministry of Finance, after the latter caused the failure of a seven-month mediation process led by the former Chief Justice of the Labor Court.

"The diplomats were willing to give a real chance to the mediation process and find pragmatic solutions to all outstanding issues; however, the finance bureaucrats lacked sincerity and did not reciprocate with the same approach. It may seem unusual for the diplomatic service of a country to become engaged in such a difficult labor dispute. This is especially true in relation to Israel's diplomats, who are well known around the globe for their commitment and their excellent ability to represent Israel with the many different challenges it faces.

"Precisely because of their deep commitment to Israel's international standing and national security, Israel's diplomats insist that their reasonable demands be met. The bold measures mentioned above will hopefully raise awareness, both domestically and internationally, of the dire situation of Israel's hard working diplomats.

"We apologize for any inconvenience caused and we are hopeful that we will soon be able to resume our work in its fullest capacity."