Israelis backing Netanyahu block highway in counter-protest
Netanyahu, on trial on corruption charges he denies, says reforms are needed to balance out branches of government.
TEL AVIV, March 30 (Reuters) - Thousands of Israelis came out in support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plan on Thursday, blocking a highway in Tel Aviv after months of anti-government protests convulsed the country.
"The nation demands legal reform!" chanted some of the demonstrators, carrying Israeli blue-and-white national flags.
Police said they were responding to a group who blocked the Ayalon freeway, the scene of almost weekly stoppages by protesters who see in Netanyahu's plan a threat to judicial independence.
Netanyahu, on trial on corruption charges he denies, says reforms are needed to balance out branches of government.
