The Israeli government approved a deal with the European Union Sunday that will open Israel's skies to competition, prompting a strike by employees of the country's three airlines, who fear the deal will lead to layoffs, dpa reported.
El Al, Israir and Arkia grounded outbound flights scheduled for Sunday starting 5 am (0300 GMT) Sunday.
Some 500 airline employees demonstrated in Jerusalem outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office as the cabinet voted on the deal.
They chanted slogans, burned tyres and shoved and pushed with police. Eight protesters were arrested when they tried to break through police barriers, Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told dpa.
"Lapid, we are also middle class," read one sign held up by a protester, referring to new Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid, whose Yesh Atid party scored high in the country's January 22 elections campaigning on behalf of Israel's struggling middle class.
Lapid's party voted in favour of the Open Skies deal, which backers say should bring down prices of air travel.
Netanyahu's right-wing Likud also supported it. In all, some 16 ministers voted in favour and three against.
Under the Open Skies agreement, signed with the EU last July, all European airlines will be able to operate direct flights to Israel from anywhere in the EU.
Israeli carriers will be able to operate flights to airports throughout the continent.
The agreement is scheduled to take affect in April 2014 and will gradually increase free competition, until the Israel-EU air transport market should be fully open, with no restrictions on the number of weekly flights between Israel and the bloc by 2017.
The EU already has similar agreements with neighbouring countries.
