Israeli government says economy strong after Moody's rating outlook cut

JERUSALEM, April 15 (Reuters) - Israel's government said on Saturday the economy was strong and that concerns raised by credit ratings agency Moody's were only "natural for those unfamiliar with the strength of Israeli society".

Moody's on Friday lowered its outlook on Israel to stable from positive, citing deterioration of governance due to events stemming from the government's proposed overhaul of the judiciary. It affirmed Israel's sovereign credit rating at "A1".

"There will be no harm to Israeli democracy and the Israeli economy," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a joint statement. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; editing by Jason Neely)