Israeli International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz. Photo: Beit Hashalom.

Times of Israel – A labor dispute between Israeli diplomats and the Finance Ministry is likely to escalate into a full-blown strike at the Foreign Ministry in the coming days, jeopardizing planned trips abroad by Israeli leaders and visits to Israel by foreign dignitaries.

The diplomats are fighting for more pay and better working conditions, and against the fact that in the current government some of the Foreign Ministry’s key roles have been handed to other government institutions. The mood among many in the ministry is bitter and frustrated, and diplomats warn that the correct handling of many central aspects of Israel’s international relations is being severely undermined.

Read full story.