JERUSALEM — Israeli workers launched an open-ended general strike.

The strike launched Wednesday by the Histadrut, Israel’s main labor union, closed down the Tel Aviv stock exchange, stopped trains across the country and caused major delays at Ben Gurion airport. The crippling strike also affected hospitals, government offices and banks.

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The strike was called after talks between the union and the government failed to reach agreement on including contract workers in labor agreements. 
Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini and Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz met until late Tuesday in order to avoid the strike.

“A strike will not solve the problem of contract workers.  It is possible to improve the conditions of contract workers without striking the economy and disrupting citizens’ lives.  There is no magic solution to the employment problems that have been created here over decades; it is possible to resolve the issue through dialogue,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

“The Israeli economy is in a delicate situation and now is not the time to risk the stability that we have achieved at great effort and through cooperation between the Government and the Histadrut in the face of the collapse of some of the world’s leading economies,” he said.

Ben Gurion Airport was closed from 6 a.m. until noon, under the Israel Labor Court’s conditions for allowing the strike to go forward. Most airlines rearranged their schedules to accommodate the closing times.