Moshe Yaalon
Moshe YaalonReuters

The US State Department on Tuesday condemned Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's comments attacking the security plan suggested by US Secretary of State John Kerry as "offensive and inappropriate," according to AFP.  

"The remarks of the defense minister, if accurate, are offensive and inappropriate especially given all that the United States is doing to support Israel's security needs," spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki claimed to reporters following a visit by Kerry to the Vatican. 

"To question his motives and distort his proposals is not something we would expect from the defense minister of a close ally," she said.

On Monday, Ya'alon called Kerry "obsessive" and "messianic."

"Secretary of State John Kerry – who came here very determined, and operates based upon an unfathomable obsession and a messianic feeling – cannot teach me anything about the Palestinians,” he is quoted as saying.

"I live and breathe the conflict with the Palestinians, I know what they think, what they want and what they really mean,” he continued. “The American security plan that was presented to us is not worth the paper it was written on.”

Ya'alon responded Tuesday to the US with more criticism, stating that the US knows that the source of instability in the Middle East is not the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Channel 10.

"Some things cannot be solved in one [day]," Ya'alon stated, addressing US efforts. "Note that we still we have not solved all the problems of medicine and mathematics; it is not like we don't have special challenges also facing us."

Yaalon called on Israel "not to panic and give in to these [statements] and other intimidation, because this ( standing up for oneself) is the only way to protect the security of Israel."