Israeli defense minister says Obama administration won't last forever

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said on Wednesday that the United States is blocking construction in the West Bank settlements, but he hopes the delay is "temporary" because the Obama administration "won't be around forever."

Speaking with Jewish seminary students in the West Bank Tuesday, Ya'alon said that the Israeli government wants to construct additional settlement housing units but due to global criticism, especially from the U.S., the government must show restraint.

"I really would like to approve plans and construct more buildings -- currently this issue elicits a reaction primarily from the Americans, followed by threats from various sources. So we are very careful not to stretch the rope too much," Ya'alon said.

"However," he added, "this (U.S.) administration won't last forever, and I hope this is temporary."

The remarks, broadcast Wednesday on Israel's Army Radio, risk reigniting tensions between Israel and the U.S. over construction in the West Bank.

The U.S. objects to the settlements' expansion on the grounds that it hampers efforts to reach a two-state solution.

Tensions between Israel's Defense Minister and the Obama administration were heightened in October, as the administration refused to grant Ya'alon appointments with top officials during his visit to Washington, after Ya'alon called U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry "obsessive and messianic."

Earlier this year, Israel announced the construction of thousands of housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem on land it took over in the 1967 Mideast War.

No new housing projects were approved since a meeting in October between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Peace Now, an anti-settlement Israeli watchdog. However, construction of previously approved projects continues. Enditem