Histadrut
Israel's national labor federation — the largest trade union and historically the most powerful non-state institution in the Israeli economy.
Founded in 1920 — predating the state itself — the Histadrut (HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim, the General Federation of Labor) was for decades the most powerful non-state institution in the Israeli economy: employer, insurer, banker, and union rolled into one. It owned enterprises (Solel Boneh, Tnuva, Bank Hapoalim), ran the health-insurance system (Kupat Holim Clalit, now Clalit Health Services), and negotiated collective agreements covering the majority of the workforce. Post-privatization and post-reform, the Histadrut's direct economic footprint has shrunk, but it remains the country's dominant labor federation — the counterparty in collective-bargaining agreements across public-sector, industrial, and service-sector unions. For foreign employers operating in Israel, the Histadrut's extension orders (tzavei harchava) are the mechanism by which sector-wide labor terms — minimum conditions above statutory law — become binding on every employer in a covered industry, whether unionized or not.