Israel president urges consensus after judicial changes pass

By ILAN BEN ZION
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s president has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition to seek dialogue and compromise after it pushed ahead with a controversial judicial overhaul in a turbulent parliamentary session overnight. President Isaac Herzog said Tuesday it was a “difficult morning” after a late night parliamentary vote saw two contentious pieces of legislation — part of sweeping changes that have prompted vocal criticism in Israel and abroad — pass a preliminary hurdle. Tens of thousands of Israelis protested outside the parliament ahead of the vote, the second mass demonstration in Jerusalem in recent weeks. An Israel Democracy Institute think tank survey finds that 72% of Israelis polled think there should be compromise on these judicial changes.