A sudden strike by Israel’s radiotelegraph technicians paralyzed almost all international communications in Israel today. All transactions were halted because cable offices were closed. Only Foreign Ministry cables and urgent personal cables were being accepted. Press cables were rejected unless they were submitted as urgent, and these were sent only on a single open line. Radio telephones were silent; The Kol Israel Radio stopped all broadcasting except for news bulletin. (The Jewish Telegraphic Agency in New York set up a special shortwave monitoring service to receive news from Kol Israel.)
The walk-out began Monday morning for a 24-hour stoppage, and then was extended. The technicians, who are seeking more pay, planned to intensify the stoppage if no agreement was reached soon. Both postal authorities and the Civil Service Authority had agreed to negotiate with the technicians.
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