<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Tens of thousands of protesters marched into Jerusalem on Saturday evening in a last-ditch show of force aimed at blocking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul, as more than 100 of Israel’s former security chiefs signed a letter pleading with the Israeli premier to halt the legislation.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>In scorching heat that reached 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit), the procession turned the city’s main highway into a sea of blue and white Israeli flags as marchers completed the last leg of a four-day, 70 kilometer (45-mile) trek from Tel Aviv to Israel’s parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>The marchers — who spent the last three nights along the way in rows of small white tents — were welcomed in Jerusalem by throngs of cheering protesters. They planned to camp outside the Knesset, or parliament, ahead of Monday’s expected vote. Meanwhile, tens of thousands flooded the streets of the coastal city of Tel Aviv, the country’s main hub.</div><div><br></div><div>Netanyahu and his far-right allies claim the overhaul is needed to curb what they say are the excessive powers of unelected judges. But their critics say the plan will destroy the country’s system of checks and balances and put it on the path toward authoritarian rule.</div><div><br></div><div>The proposed overhaul has drawn harsh criticism from business and medical leaders, and a fast-rising number of military reservists in key units have said they will stop reporting for duty if the plan passes, raising concern that the country’s security interests could be threatened.</div><div><br></div><div>Over 100 top former security chiefs, including retired military commanders, police commissioners and heads of intelligence agencies joined those calls on Saturday, signing a letter to Netanyahu blaming him for compromising Israel’s military and urging him to halt the legislation. The signatories included Ehud Barak, a former Israeli prime minister, and Moshe Yaalon, a former army chief and defense minister. Both are political rivals of Netanyahu. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>