Current sectionIsrael NewsUnion strongly denied any strike action, blaming the chaos on severe staff shortages and prolonged understaffing; the disruption grounded arrivals and stranded thousands of travelersShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeHaaretz, Yifat Reuvenand Ben KrollAugust 20, 2026Updated:03:15 PM IDTPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the suspension of Pinhas Idan, head of the Israel Airports Authority workers' union, from the Likud party on Thursday following a crippling labor disruption at Ben-Gurion Airport. Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Ben-Gurion AirportAviationTransportationCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesFlorida DemocratsIranLikudNetanyahuJared KushnerWest BankYehuda KatzPollHaaretz PodcastNetanyahu Boots Union Chief From Likud After Alleged Airport Strike Brings ChaosThe Israeli Army Has Plenty of Soldiers. Why Is It Determined to Draft Haredim?Israeli Indicted After Allegedly Attacking Palestinian, Running Over His SheepThe More Neglect Israeli Arabs Face, the More They Move to Jewish TownsThe U.S. Peace Plan Is Grave for Gaza and Great for NetanyahuRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIShe's the Superstar of the Israeli Left, and She Wants PowerIDF Marks Detained Palestinians With Numbers as Northern West Bank Raids ExpandIsrael Police Say Missing Israeli Mother and Daughter Found in ArgentinaThe American Jewish Establishment Is Defending an Israel That No Longer ExistsReality Check: As the Election Nears, Haaretz Debunks Israeli Politicians' Biggest LiesSo Will It Be a Problem if Miriam Adelson Flies to Israel to Vote?