Palestinian supporters rally against the violence and siege implemented by the Israel
The war between Israel and Palestinian militants shattered the lives of thousands: Palestinian supporters rally against violence in the Gaza strip Reuters

Showing more strains in the U.S.-Israel ties, an unnamed official in President Obama's administration attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by calling him "chickenshit". But the White House quickly disassociated itself from the remark and went into a damage control mode.

Controversial Remark

An article in "The Atlantic" written by columnist Jeffrey Goldberg quoted the unidentified senior U.S. official who used the above abusive word, reported New Zealand Star and Haeertz. The official said the "Israeli PM was afraid to reach an accommodation with the Palestinians and was only interested in preserving his own political skin". The provocative comments plunged the turbulent U.S.-Israel ties into new lows.

Jen Psaki, Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said the statements about Netanyahu were from anonymous sources and neither President Obama nor Secretary of State, John Kerry sees them as "accurate or appropriate." According to Psaki, such statements are "neither productive nor constructive" and the sources who gave the interview to "The Atlantic" did that without authorisation. She said, "If this issue comes up we will make clear that it is not reflective of the secretary's views," she said, adding that "when the secretary speaks to Netanyahu next, he will make clear that it is not our view."

Netanyahu's Response

Reacting to the attack, Netanyahu's office said: "Prime Minister Netanyahu will continue to uphold the security interests of Israel and the historical rights of the Jewish people in Jerusalem. No amount of pressure can change that."

Netanyahu said the attack by "anonymous" critics emanated because he was defending Israel and its national security. He stressed that he always "cherished" Israel's alliance with the United States despite such skirmishes.

The remark seems to have stemmed from the friction between U.S. and Israel on the issue of Israeli construction activity in contested East Jerusalem. Josh Earnest, White House press secretary, declined to confirm or deny the epithet against Benjamin Netanyahu. Earnest said he will not doubt the veracity of Goldberg's reporting and the insult, if uttered, was "directly in opposition to the true view and policy of this administration."

At the same time, he said the close relationship between the two governments "transcends individual presidencies" and Obama administration would not "paper over the differences." He said the settlement activity "only serves to complicate efforts to achieve a two-state solution."

John Kerry Deplores

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry deplored the reported insults by an American official against the Israeli prime minister. Kerry called it "disgraceful, unacceptable and damaging," reports AFP. Kerry reiterated that the United States would continue to work effectively to relaunch the peace process with the Palestinians and hoped it was "doable."