Netanyahu launches contentious overhaul as thousands protest

By JOSEF FEDERMAN
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Tens of thousands of Israelis protested outside the parliament building in Jerusalem in a show of force against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as his government formally launched a contentious plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary. The protest Monday took place as Netanyahu’s allies pushed the plan through a parliamentary committee in a first step toward passage. Netanyahu and his supporters say the proposed changes are needed to rein in a judiciary that wields too much power. But his critics say Netanyahu has a conflict of interest at a time when he is on trial for corruption charges. They say the attempt to take over the judicial system is tantamount to a coup and will destroy Israeli democracy.