The strike, originally meant to last one day, is to continue today. The heads of 33 Negev cities and towns and Negev local and regional council heads met with all MKs to attempt to persuade them to fight the abolition of the Negev Laws. At press time, no response had been received. The Negev Laws, approved a mere six weeks ago, concern tax discounts for Negev residents, increased government grants for Negev industries, and increased Housing Ministry mortgages for eligible Negev residents.
All Negev schools are to be closed today, except for special education schools.
Authority heads and all workers committees are to strike local factories and block main junctions at Yad Mordechai, Kiryat Gat, Ramat Hovav, and Dudaim. In addition, hundreds of Negev residents plan to demonstrate in front of the Knesset today. Yesterday, Negev schools were closed except for special education institutions and kindergartens, and demonstrators blocked road junctions and the entrances to the Ramat Hovav industrial zone and Dudaim garbage dump. Beersheba public transportation also shut down for an hour in the morning. A protest and solidarity rally was held at Ben-Gurion University, with the active participation of University President Prof Avishai Braverman and student union head Gila Gamliel.