Prominent Israelis urge UK and Germany to cancel Netanyahu visits

Police disperse demonstrators and activists as they block a road near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)

Hundreds of Israeli writers, artists and intellectuals have called on Germany and the UK to cancel upcoming visits by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying his plan to overhaul Israel’s judicial system has put the country on a destructive course.

Mr Netanyahu’s coalition, a collection of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties, has pushed ahead with legislation that aims to weaken Israel’s Supreme Court and give them control over the appointment of the nation’s judges.