Yuksel Serdar Oguz
January 15, 2014•Update: March 21, 2016
JERUSALEM
Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon has apologized for saying the United States' Secretary of State has a messiah complex in a newspaper interview just days before his visit to Tel Aviv.
Moshe Yaalon's office released a statement apologizing for his comments in Tuesday's edition of Yedioth Ahronot - Israel's top-selling newspaper - which claimed John Kerry had a "misplaced obsession and messianic fervor" for peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
"The defense minister had no intention to cause any offense to the Secretary, and he apologizes if the Secretary was offended by the remarks attributed to the minister," the statement said.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Yaalon's office issued the apology after he had had a long conversation with his Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
US State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement that the comments were "offensive and inappropriate" given America's support for Israel's security.
"Questioning Kerry's motives and distorting his proposals are not something we would expect from the defense minister of a close ally," the statement continued.
Yaalon later sought to repair any damage by calling the US Israel's "most important friend and ally".
The defense minister was also rebuked by Netanyahu in his speech at the opening of the winter session of parliament, the PM saying, "even when we have disagreements with the US, it is about the matter at hand and not about the person."
Yaalon is a member of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party.
In the interview, he also said "the only thing that can save us (Israel) is if Kerry wins the Nobel prize and leaves us alone."
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