Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu tried to play down apparent tensions with the United States today after a rocky meeting at the White House last week, saying that relations with Washington remain strong.
In his first public comments on the matter, Prime Minister Netanyahu told his Cabinet that Israel and the U.S. can work out their differences.
“The relationship between Israel and the U.S. is one between allies and friends, and it’s a relationship based on years of tradition,” Netanyahu said. “Even if there are disagreements, these are disagreements between friends, and that’s how they will stay.”
Netanyahu, who has consistently rejected calls for any halt to building in Yerushalayim, got a chilly reception at the White House last week. He gave no sign of giving in to the U.S. demand or resolving the dispute by the time he left.
Ties between Israel and the U.S. are more tense than they have been in years.
In Washington, David Axelrod, a top adviser to President Barack Obama, said today that the relationship with Israel remains strong, adding that sometimes blunt talk is part of friendship. However, he gave no indication the sides were any closer to resolving their dispute.
{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel/CBS Broadcasting contributed to this report}
