Israel's defence minister has been forced to apologise for "offensive and inappropriate" remarks, in which he described John Kerry as obsessive and messianic, after the ensuing diplomatic row engulfed the secretary of state's mission to broker a peace deal in the Middle East.
Moshe Ya'alon, an ally of Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, had dismissed Kerry's efforts to pursue a peace deal in private conversations with US and Israeli officials, which were reported in the Israeli media. He did not deny the accuracy of the comments.
"Secretary of state John Kerry – who arrived here determined, and who operates from an incomprehensible obsession and a sense of messianism – can't teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians," Ya'alon was quoted as saying.
He added: "The only thing that might save us is if John Kerry wins the Nobel prize and leaves us be."
In a sharp rebuke to Israel, state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: "The remarks of the defence minister, if accurate, are offensive and inappropriate, especially given all that the US is doing to support Israel's security needs.
"Secretary Kerry and his team … have been working day and night to try and promote a secure peace for Israel because of the secretary's deep concern for Israel's future. To question secretary Kerry's motives and distort his proposal is not something we would expect from the defence minister of a close ally."
A Washington source said the administration expected Netanyahu to publicly dissociate himself from Ya'alon's remarks.
Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, Ya'alon's office issued a statement saying he "had no intention to cause any offence to the secretary, and he apologises if the secretary was offended by words attributed to the minister".
Earlier, Netanyahu and the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, along with other senior ministers, sought to repair the diplomatic damage. "The US is our largest partner and the partnership is founded on shared values and interests," Netanyahu said. "Even when there are disagreements between us, they are always substantive and not personal."
Peres told parliament: "The extraordinary commitment of secretary of state Kerry to the cause of peace reflects Israel's deep and serious commitment to peace and is creating the opportunity for an agreement and mutual understanding."
But according to some reports, Ya'alon was reflecting views widely held within the Israeli cabinet. "The voice is [Ya'alon's] voice – the thoughts are Netanyahu's," a senior official told Yedioth Ahronoth. "[Ya'alon] said out loud what Netanyahu would like to say … Kerry is a burden."
The paper quoted a high-ranking cabinet minister, who said privately: "Kerry is naive, obsessive, delusional and suffers from an extreme misunderstanding of the reality in the region. He wants to win the Nobel prize, and he doesn't mind gambling irresponsibly with our fate."
Kerry is soon expected to make his 11th visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories as part of a determined drive to secure a peace deal to end the decades-old conflict. He has devoted hours to one-on-one meetings with Netanyahu and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and has won widespread respect for his dogged commitment to his mission.
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