Israel's hawkish defense minister drew rare U.S. condemnation Tuesday over reports he had denounced Secretary of State John Kerry's quest for Israeli-Palestinian peace as messianic and obsessive.

Yaalon's remarks were quoted in the best-selling daily Yedioth Ahronoth as having been said behind closed doors.

Responding to the Yedioth report with a written statement, Yaalon – who stopped short of denying he had made the personal attack on Kerry in private conversations – described Washington as an ally of utmost importance.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, already at odds with Washington over settlement building on land Palestinians want for a state, scrambled to try to avoid a damaging crisis with his country's closest ally over Yaalon's remarks.

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