The Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has asked the country’s attorney general to make an urgent request to the courts to block a planned nationwide strike on Monday aimed at pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government to bring back the Israeli hostages still being held by the Hamas in Gaza.

In his letter to Israel’s attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, Smotrich argues that a strike has no legal basis since it aims to unduly influence important political decisions on issues related to state security.

At the same time he emphasized that a wider strike – which would shut down the country including outbound flights – has significant economic consequences that would cause unnecessary economic damage in wartime.

His call for a one-day general strike Arnon Bar-Davidwhose Histadrut union represents hundreds of thousands of workers, was supported by Israel’s major manufacturing and high-tech entrepreneurs. The strike will begin at 6 a.m. local time.

There has been no immediate response from Baharav-Miara.