Ya'alon jab spurs White House support for Kerry peace effort
An off-the-record comment by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon rallied a statement of support from the White House for US Secretary of State John Kerry's peace efforts.
Since US Secretary of State John Kerry began his pursuit of an agreement between Israel and the PLO last year, one central question has been hovering over his effort and retarding its effectiveness — how committed is US President Barack Obama to Kerry's effort to make peace?
Recent injudicious comments by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe "Bogie" Ya’alon, certainly without intending it, pushed the White House into its most spirited public defense yet of Kerry’s effort — a move that is sure to gladden the hearts of those who are seeking proof of Obama’s support and to depress Kerry’s opponents in equal measure.
This unusual, public demonstration of American pique has succeeded in squeezing a public apology from Ya’alon, who after a two-hour meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a midnight mea culpa:
“The defense minister had no intention to insult the secretary, and he apologizes if the secretary was offended by words attributed to the minister."
