Reported rift with US ‘worrying trend’ — Lapid

Rumors of frayed relations between Washington and Jerusalem are a “worrying trend,” Finance Minister Yair Lapid, a security cabinet member, says.

Addressing a Wall Street Journal report saying that the US had suspended a shipment of Hellfire missiles to Israel amid worsening ties over fighting in Gaza, Lapid says, “This is a worrying trend and we cannot allow it to continue. Our relations with the United States are a strategic asset that must be maintained.”

He adds that he spoke with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Senate majority leader Harry Reid last week to thank them “for the emergency funds which they transferred to Israel” for the Iron Dome missile defense system.

“Sometimes we just need to say thank you and ensure that our important relations with the United States remain strong,” Lapid asserts.