Israeli president urges Netanyahu to halt legal overhaul amid protests

Israel's ceremonial president on Monday urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately halt a contentious overhaul of the judiciary.

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.