Israeli protesters clash with police, confront PM’s wife

By ISABEL DEBRE and ILAN BEN ZION
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police have extracted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife from a hair salon besieged by anti-government protesters. The rescue came hours after police fired stun grenades and water cannons at demonstrators who blocked a Tel Aviv highway, and protesters scuffled with police near Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence as weeks of anti-government protests turned violent. Wednesday’s developments came as thousands across the country staged a “national disruption day,” the latest in a string of mass protests against Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul Israel’s judiciary and weaken the Supreme Court. The rival sides are digging in, deepening one of Israel’s worst domestic crises. The legal overhaul has sparked an unprecedented uproar as well as concern from international allies.