State asks court to block teachers from striking as talks appear to stall

Israel’s state prosecutor’s office is asking for a court injunction to block teachers from striking on Thursday, the first day of school, as talks seemingly hit a cul-de-sac.

The request, which is backed by Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman, comes despite the fact that Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton is opposed to the move.

The request cites the “massive damage” extending summer break for striking teachers would wreak on both parents and kids.

Long-running wage talks appeared to progress earlier Tuesday, but sources later indicated that an agreement was still a long way off, and the move to block the strike may signal that treasury officials no longer believe the gaps can be bridged.

“We’ve reached the limit of what we can offer the teachers,” a treasury source is quoted saying by Channel 12 news.

Kan reports that the prosecutor’s office decided to side with Liberman due to the fact that the Finance Ministry is a direct party to the talks with the teachers’ union.