The abrupt end of the general strike is viewed as a triumph for Amir Peretz and the Histadrut and a defeat for Yaakov Neeman and the Finance Ministry.
Little attention is paid to the rule of law.
It was the greatest loser. Attorney-General Elyakim Rubinstein briefly entered the arena to declare, entirely correctly, that the Histradrut's decision to defy a labor court order had brought Israel to the verge of anarchy. Bending to the public clamor to end the strike, the labor court swallowed its pride. It chose not to uphold its own decree and invited Peretz, who had flouted the earlier court orders, to negotiate under its aegis with the Finance Ministry. This was a short-sighted capitulation to immediate needs.