Netanyahu postpones visit to London after pilots refuse to fly him

MOSCOW: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to postpone a visit to London for a day as a number of Israeli pilots have refused to fly a plane with him on board, Sputnik quoted The Telegraph's report, citing a source.

"It is understood that Israeli pilots have been refusing to take Mr Netanyahu to the UK," the UK government source said, as quoted by the newspaper.

The refusal of the pilots is associated with Netanyahu's plans to reorganise the Israeli legal system, which caused mass protests in the country, the newspaper added.

Thousands have been protesting against the judicial reform in Israel for almost 11 weeks now.

On Thursday, demonstrations against the reform took place near Netanyahu's residence and houses of other cabinet members.

The draft law presented by Justice Minister Yariv Levin in January, if adopted, will significantly curtail the powers of the Israeli Supreme Court and give the government control over the procedure of the appointment of judges.

-- BERNAMA