While Finance Minister Dr. Yuval Shteinitz met with Histadrut National Labor Federation leaders at 9:00pm on Tuesday night, February 7, 2012, most signal this was more or less a formality and the nationwide general strike began on Wednesday morning, February 8, 2012 at 6:00am.

Included in the strike is the nation�s seaports, municipal services, school administrative personnel, employment services, state agencies, Clalit HMO, state hospitals will be operating on a Shabbos schedule and therefore elective surgeries and outpatient clinics will be closed. Ben-Gurion International Airport will strike for six hours only, until noon.

Not striking is special education, schools, Egged and Dan, and the Bank of Israel foreign currency rates.

(YWN � Israel Desk, Jerusalem)