国际英语新闻:Israel attempts damage control after DM slams Kerry

JERUSALEM, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Israeli politicians scrambled to do damage control on Tuesday, following harsh statements attributed to Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon regarding U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's performance on Tuesday.

Israel's Yedioth Aharonot daily published on Tuesday comments attributed to hawkish Ya'alon, who said that Kerry should "get a Nobel Prize and leave us (Israel) alone."

The defense minister reportedly complained ahead of one of Kerry's ten trips to the region since July of last year that there were no negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians in the past month, but between Israel and the Americans.

Ya'alon, who headed the Israeli army's West Bank Division and Central Command during the second Palestinian intifada, has also slammed a U.S.-devised security provisions for an Israeli pullout from the West Bank if a peace deal is established, reportedly saying that it is "not worth the paper it's written on."

The harsh statements led to a furious response on Tuesday afternoon from the U.S. State Department.

"The remarks of the defense minister, if accurate, are offensive and inappropriate, especially given all that the United States is doing to support Israel's security needs," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

"Secretary Kerry and his team have been working day and night to try to promote a secure peace for Israel because of the secretary's deep concern for Israel's future," Psaki said. "To question his motive and distort his proposals is not something we would expect from the defense minister of a close ally," she added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to calm down the rhetoric and control the damage caused by his cabinet minister.

"Even when we have disagreements with the United States, they are always on the heart of the matter, not on the merits of an individual," Netanyahu said in front of the Knesset (parliament) plenum in a special assembly marking 65 years since its establishment, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

"The U.S. is our greatest ally," Netanyahu said. "We are partners in goals and joint interests: regional stability, the war on terror, growth, security and peace. We are making efforts to bring security to the region and stand up for our interests."

Following the reports in Yedioth, Ya'alon's bureau released a statement saying that Israel attaches great value to its ties with the United States, but did not deny or retract the reported remarks.

"The relationship between Israel and the U.S. is intimate and of great significance to us. The U.S. is our greatest friend and most important ally, and when divisions emerge we work them out behind closed doors," Ya'alon said in a statement released hours after the newspaper quoted him describing Kerry.