Obama denies US - Israel relations crisis

Barack Obama has said America and Israel are good friends despite one of his top aides attacking the country over settlement plans.


Speaking to Fox News, the US President has said the two countries, like all friends, have their problems.


"Israel is one of our closest allies and we and the Israeli people have a special bond that's not going to go away. But friends are going to disagree sometimes", he said.


Mr Obama went on and said Jerusalem's new settlement homes "weren't helpful" for carving out a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians.


Israel announced Jewish settlement expansions as Vice-President Joe Biden arrived for a visit last week.


The move drew rebukes from Mr Obama, Mr Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.


Referring to one of his foreign policy priorities, the president also said a nuclear-armed Iran could trigger an arms race in the Middle East, something his administration wanted to avoid.