Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu did damage control on the Israel-US relationship in his speech in honor of the Knesset's 65th birthday, following Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's comments about US Secretary of State John Kerry.
"Even when we have disagreements with the US, they are always on the heart of the matter, not on the merits of an individual," Netanyahu said in an apparent dig at Ya'alon, who, according to a Yediot Aharonot report, accused Kerry of being "messianic" and "delusional" when it comes to negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
The United States on Tuesday rebuked Israel for comments attributed to Israel's defense minister.
"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 in a brief statement that constituted a rare rebuke to close ally Israel.
- "Secretary Kerry and his team including General (John) Allen 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," she added. "To question his motives and distort his proposals is not something we would expect from the Defense Minister of a close ally."
Relations between the US and Israel are "intimate and are of high significance for us. The US is our greatest friend and most important ally, and when there are divisions we smooth them over inside the room [behind closed doors], including with Secretary of State Kerry, with whom I hold many talks about the future of Israel," the statement said.
Ya'alon vowed to continue to safeguard the security of Israeli citizens with "determination, responsibility, and sound judgment."
"The US is our greatest ally," Netanyahu stated in his speech. "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."
The prime minister said that true peace depends on recognition of Israel as the Jewish state along with security arrangements that will ensure that "the land in the Palestinians' hands will not turn into terrorist launching pads."
However, he said, those aims must be reached "while respecting our important connection with the US."
"We stand up for our national interests and one of those is continuing to cultivate our connection with our ally, the US," Netanyahu added.
President Shimon Peres thanked US President Barack Obama "for his full responsiveness to our security and intelligence needs" and Kerry for his "determined efforts to make peace."
"There is no doubt [Obama] wants to see a peaceful Middle East," Peres told the Knesset. "Our deep friendship with the US is a central component of Israel's security and an impetus for peace in the Middle East."
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Labor) also referred to Ya'alon's comments, saying that the relationship with the US is essential and "we shouldn't call them 'messianic' or 'delusional' or any other derogatory nicknames."
Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report.
http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Netanyahu-does-damage-control-reaffirms-friendship-with-US-after-Yaalons-dig-at-Kerry-338158
14/1/14
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US vice president urges Israel to sieze opportunity for peace...
ReplyDeleteJERUSALEM.-The US vice president has urged Israel to seize the opportunity for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the day of the funeral of Israel's former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Vice President Joe Biden told Israel's President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem on Monday that secure states respecting each other's sovereignty and security would offer "an island of stability".
Referring to the Arab Spring as a historical phenomenon, Biden said: "This is one of those opportunities, one of those moments in history where it (peace) has to be seized."
Peres thanked Biden for his remarks, saying: "All of usare aware that we have to take the decision now, that it's tough and difficult but we have an open window and God knows when it will happen again."
He referred to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as "a serious partner, and the right one", adding that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also taking the issue seriously.
"I believe there is a serious attempt to make the right decision and there is only one – two states for two peoples," Peres said.
Peres also commended the work of US Secretary of State John Kerry saying, "I believe in his energy and his contribution. There are changes on our side and on the Arab side... The future of the Middle East will affect our future and we would like to see it successful and prosperous."
Biden was on a one-day visit to Israel to attend the funeral of Sharon who died Saturday at the age of 85, eight years after a debilitating stroke had put him into a coma.
"President Obama wanted me to be here today not merely to pay our respects to a great war hero, but a man whose life seemed to, from my perspective at least, mirror the changes that occurred in Israel since its inception as a nation," he said.
"At the very outset, the overwhelming necessity was literally to keep from being pushed into the sea by hostile neighbors that were more powerful and had larger armies and more weapons. And he (Sharon) led the fight and changed the circumstance where Israel is no longer in physical jeopardy as a consequence of being overwhelmed; Israel is a significant power in its own right."
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/274441--us-vice-president-urges-israel-to-sieze-opportunity-for-peace
14/1/14
US calls Israeli minister's reported comments 'offensive' ...
ReplyDeleteThe United States on Tuesday rebuked Israel for comments attributed to Israel's defense minister suggesting that US Secretary of State John Kerry's quest for Israeli-Palestinian peace is messianic and obsessive.
"The remarks of the Defense Minister (Moshe Yaalon) 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 in a brief statement that constituted a rare rebuke to close ally Israel.
Voice of Russia, Reuters
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_01_14/US-calls-Israeli-ministers-reported-comments-offensive-3806/
14/1/14
US anger at Israel Kerry 'comment'...
ReplyDeleteThe US has condemned as "offensive" reported comments by Israel's defence minister about Secretary of State John Kerry's Middle East peace proposals.
The White House said the alleged comments by Moshe Yaalon were "inappropriate" given America's support to Israel's security.
It was a rare rebuke to America's ally.
Mr Yaalon was quoted by Israel's Yediot Ahronot newspaper as saying Mr Kerry was acting out of "misplaced obsession and messianic fervour".
An unnamed US state department official quoted by AFP news agency called on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to express "publicly his disagreement with the statements against Secretary Kerry".
'Framework' plan
He said a security plan Mr Kerry had presented to Israel was "not worth the paper it was written on".
"John Kerry - who has come to us determined and is acting out of an incomprehensible obsession and messianic fervour - cannot teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians," he is quoted as saying.................http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25735532
14/1/14
Israels Verteidigungsminister: "Kerry soll uns in Ruhe lassen“...
ReplyDeleteMit scharfen Worten attackiert Mosche Yaalon den amerikanischen Vermittler. Das US-Außenministerium ist empört.
Kritik am Friedensvermittler: Israels Verteidigungsminister Mosche Yaalon hat nach einem Zeitungsbericht US-Außenminister John Kerry wegen dessen Bemühungen um einen Nahostfrieden scharf angegriffen. Kerry, der "getrieben von unangebrachter Besessenheit und mit messianischem Eifer" vorgehe, habe ihm "gar keine Lehren über den Konflikt mit den Palästinensern zu erteilen", so Yaloon am Dienstag. Er äußerte seine Kritik in einem Interview mit der Zeitung "Yediot Achronot". Sein Sprecher wollte den Bericht nicht kommentieren.
"In Wirklichkeit gibt es gar keine Verhandlungen zwischen uns und den Palästinensern, sondern die Amerikaner sprechen mit uns und parallel mit den Palästinensern. Das einzige, was uns noch retten kann, ist der Friedensnobelpreis für John Kerry, und dass er uns dann in Ruhe lässt", wetterte Yaloon. Sowohl Israelis als auch Palästinenser fürchten sich vor den Folgen, sollten sie für ein Scheitern der Gespräche und damit einen schmerzhaften Ansehensverlust für die US-Außenpolitik verantwortlich gemacht werden.
Intensive Bemühungen
Kerry bemüht sich seit Monaten ungewöhnlich intensiv um einen Ausgleich zwischen Israelis und Palästinensern mit dem Ziel einer Zwei-Staaten-Lösung und eines abschließenden Friedensvertrages. Seit Ende Juli sprechen Unterhändler beider Seiten auf sein Drängen hin auch wieder direkt miteinander. Der stets freundlich und lobend auftretende Kerry äußerte sich zuletzt optimistisch über die Erfolgsaussichten..................http://diepresse.com/home/politik/aussenpolitik/1546105/Israels-Verteidigungsminister_Kerry-soll-uns-in-Ruhe-lassen?from=rss
14/1/14
Le ministre israélien de la Défense présente ses excuses à Kerry...
ReplyDeleteLe ministre israélien de la Défense Moshé Yaalon a présenté mardi soir ses excuses au secrétaire d'Etat américain John Kerry après avoir lancé un virulente attaque personnelle contre lui.
Dans un communiqué, M. Yaalon a affirmé qu'il "n'avait eu aucune intention d'offenser le secrétaire d'Etat et qu'il lui présentait ses excuses s'il avait été blessé par les propos qui ont été attribués au ministre de la Défense". "Israël et les Etats-Unis ont comme objectif commun de faire avancer les discussions de paix entre Israël et les Palestiniens conduites par John Kerry. Nous apprécions les multiples efforts déployés par M. Kerry pour y parvenir", a ajouté le communiqué. M. Yaalon a présenté ces excuses après que ses propos eurent déclenché un clash diplomatique entre Israël et les Etats-Unis, l'allié stratégique de l'Etat hébreu. Dans des conversations privées avec des officiels israéliens et américains, rapportées mardi par le quotidien Yediot Aharonot, le ministre de la Défense avait affirmé: "Le secrétaire d'Etat John Kerry - qui est arrivé ici déterminé, et qui est animé par une obsession incompréhensible et une sorte de messianisme - ne peut rien m'apprendre sur le conflit avec les Palestiniens". "La seule chose susceptible de nous sauver est que John Kerry remporte le prix Nobel (de la Paix) et nous laisse tranquilles", avait ironisé le ministre de la Défense, selon le journal. Le département d'Etat américain a jugé "insultants" les propos de M. Yaalon, alors que John Kerry s'efforce depuis juillet dernier de parvenir à un accord de paix entre Israël et les Palestiniens. La Maison Blanche elle-même a réagi vigoureusement, considérant que l'attaque de M. Yaalon était "choquante et déplacée". (Belga)
http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/international/1061852/le-ministre-israelien-de-la-defense-presente-ses-excuses-a-kerry
15/1/14
Ya’alon: US truly our best friend...
ReplyDeleteDefense minister meets with top US soldier, Gen. Martin Dempsey, highlights US commitment to Israel’s security.
We appreciate the efforts of Secretary of State John Kerry and the commitment and contribution of President Barack Obama,” Ya’alon said after the meeting, according to Ynet.
The US is “truly our best friend,” he added.
Dempsey, meanwhile, joked that his wife is upset he speaks more to Israel’s military chief, Gantz, than to her. Neither Dempsey nor Ya’alon, however, made any mention of the spat between the defense minister and the Obama administration.
Later Sunday, Dempsey met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two reportedly discussed the US-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Netanyahu praised Dempsey, as well as the American commitment to Israel’s security.
“Welcome to Jerusalem again, this is an expression of the close alliance between us,” Netanyahu told Dempsey.
The prime minister also thanked the US for its support of Israel’s advanced missile defense systems.......http://www.timesofisrael.com/yaalon-us-truly-our-best-friend/#ixzz2xTIdMKCl
30/3/14
Ya'alon to Dempsey: U.S. ties 'cornerstone' of Israeli security...
ReplyDeleteIsraeli defense minister meets U.S. Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff in Jerusalem, discusses progress in Mideast.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon met Sunday with Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, and assured him that the relationship with the U.S. was a "cornerstone" of Israeli security.
During their meeting in Jerusalem, Dempsey and Ya'alon discussed developments in the Middle East and collaboration between the two countries, according to a statement from the Defense Minister's office. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz was present at the meeting as well.
Ya'alon thanked Dempsey for "being a true friend of the State of Israel and the IDF," declaring: "We truly appreciate the close relations between the United States and Israel. For us, the United States is a strategic ally and our greatest friend. Our relations with the United States are a cornerstone of Israel's national security." ...........http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.582825
30/3/14