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US says still waiting for Israeli minister's apology

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'aloon called US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to clarify his statement where he described the US as weak, but the US is 'disappointed with the lack of an apology'.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) stands next to Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon (2nd R) and Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz (R) during an air force pilots' graduation ceremony at Hatzerim air base in southern Israel December 26, 2013. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTX16UGX

The State Department said Friday that it does not consider Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon’s clarification of his remarks this week about US weakness to constitute an apology, prolonging an unusually public spat between the two allies.

The United States is "disappointed with the lack of an apology" by Israeli Defense Minister Ya'alon, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said Friday.

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