U.S. officials reacted angrily Tuesday to comments attributed to Israel’s defense minister criticizing Secretary of State John Kerry’s efforts to broker a peace agreement between Israel and Palestinians.
The derisive remarks appeared in a popular daily Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronot, and reflect Moshe Yaalon’s skepticism of the Kerry-led U.S. efforts “both in private conversations in Israel and in the U.S.”
“American Secretary of State John Kerry, who turned up here determined and acting out of misplaced obsession and messianic fervor, cannot teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians,” Yaalon said, according to the paper.
Yaalon later issued an apology in a written statement sent to media from the Defense Ministry, International News informs.
“Israel and the United States share a common goal to advance the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians led by Secretary Kerry. We appreciate Secretary Kerry’s many efforts towards that end,” the release said. “The defense minister had no intention to cause any offense to the secretary, and he apologizes if the secretary was offended by words attributed to the minister.”
