Israeli president urges Netanyahu to halt legal overhaul

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s ceremonial president has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately halt a contentious overhaul of the judiciary. President Isaac Herzog’s plea comes hours after tens of thousands of people burst into the streets around the country in a spontaneous show of anger at Netanyahu’s decision to fire his defense minister after he called for a pause to the overhaul. The overhaul has sparked one of Israel’s gravest domestic crises, drawing widespread opposition from business leaders, legal officials and even the country’s military. The overhaul has sparked one of Israel’s gravest domestic crises, drawing widespread opposition from business leaders, legal officials and even the country’s military.