Herzog stands by Netanyahu on Gaza
In an interview, Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog explains that he backed the operation in the Gaza Strip in the interest of solidarity, but when the dust settles, nothing will have changed between him and the prime minister.
![Israeli parliament members Herzog and Bar shake hands with Palestinian President Abbas as they attend a meeting in Ramallah Israeli parliament members Isaac Herzog (L) and Hilik Bar (C) shake hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as they attend a meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah October 7, 2013. Abbas held a rare meeting with the group of Israeli parliamentarians on Monday, warning that this could be the last chance to reach a deal to end decades of Israeli-Palestinian conflict and create two independent states living side-by-side. REUTERS/Abbas Momani/Pool (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX142QP](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2014/08/RTX142QP.jpg/RTX142QP.jpg?h=c2c5b897&itok=FErU_thc)
On the evening of Aug. 3, the chairman of the opposition, Knesset member Isaac Herzog, and US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro arrived together at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba to visit people wounded in Operation Protective Edge.
Two days earlier, on Friday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scolded Shapiro over the phone, demanding that the US administration back him up while he deals with Hamas, rather than doubting his intentions. Given the tension between the two governments, it seems as if the ambassador considered Herzog’s invitation a good opportunity to declare to the media that the United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself. Meanwhile, Herzog went out of his way to praise Israel’s friendship with the United States for its help in funding the Iron Dome defense system.