'There is a Crisis with the United States' — Says Israel's Finance Minister

Comments follow the Obama administration’s refusal to allow Israeli defense minister to meet with top national security aides

The Obama Administration rejected a proposal to let Israeli officials meet with
national security adviser Susan Rice (pictured above) and vice president Joe Biden
(Photo by the US Dept of Agriculture)

By The Guardian
A top Israeli minister said on Saturday there was a “crisis” in the country’s relations with the United States that must be fixed.

Finance minister Yair Lapid’s comments came a day after US officials said the Obama administration refused Israeli defense minister Moshe Yaalon’s requests to meet several top national security aides.

The White House and the State Department rejected Israeli proposals for meetings with vice-president Joe Biden, national security adviser Susan Rice and secretary of state John Kerry on his five-day trip to the US. The administration is still angered by negative comments Yaalon made about Kerry’s peace efforts in the middle east and nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Lapid said “there is a crisis with the United States” and added that the relationship “must be managed respectfully and responsibly”.

From The Guardian

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