Israeli protesters block highways, train stations as Netanyahu moves ahead with judicial overhaul

By JOSEF FEDERMAN
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of protesters have blocked highways and train stations and massed in central Tel Aviv during a day of countrywide demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned judicial overhaul. The protests, now in their seventh month, have taken on a sense of urgency as Netanyahu and his allies in parliament march ahead with the program. The first bill in the package – a measure that seeks to limit the Supreme Court’s oversight powers – could become law as soon as next week. Tuesday’s unrest also cast a shadow over a visit to the White House by Israel’s figurehead president, Isaac Herzog, who was invited to Washington to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary.