Netanyahu visits wounded soldiers

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells foreign diplomats stationed in Israel that he expects from them not only support but also that they take an “ethical stand against a terrorist organization attacking us.”

“Every democracy would do what Israel is doing,” he tells tens of foreign ambassadors during a visit to the Barzilai hospital in Ashkelon.

During the morning, the prime minister speaks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, telling them that the international community needs to work toward the demilitarization of Gaza.

At the hospital, Netanyahu visits soldiers and civilians who were wounded in Operation Protective Edge. “You were hurt while carrying out the most important mission imaginable – protecting our home.”

Later this afternoon, Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv. At the beginning of the meeting, the two leaders will hold a joint press conference.

— Raphael Ahren