Thousands of Israelis protest after Netanyahu fires defence minister

Israelis opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul set up bonfires and block a highway (Oren Ziv/AP)

Tens of thousands of Israelis have poured on to streets of cities across the country in a spontaneous outburst of anger after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defence minister for challenging the Israeli leader’s judicial overhaul plan.

Protesters in Tel Aviv blocked a main highway and lit large bonfires while police scuffled with protesters who gathered outside Mr Netanyahu’s private home in Jerusalem.