Israelis protest legal changes before nation’s 75th birthday

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Tens of thousands of protesters have flocked to Tel Aviv and cities across Israel to vent their opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government and its divisive plan to overhaul the country’s judicial system. The mass protest — which has raged weekly since the start of the year — comes just ahead of Israel’s landmark 75th anniversary celebration. The holiday honoring Israel’s founding in 1948, typically meant to be a display of national unity, has been marred by one of Israel’s gravest crises in its history. Plans by Netanyahu’s government to weaken the Supreme Court have outraged Israelis who see it as an assault on democracy.