Secretary of State John Kerry admonished the anonymous White House official who reportedly called Benjamin Netanyahu a 'chicken***t' on Thursday, saying the description of Israeli Prime Minister reflects neither his nor the president's opinion of the world leader. 'We condemn anybody who uses language such as was used in this article,' Kerry said during an on-stage interview at the Washington Ideas Forum. 'It is disgraceful, unacceptable, damaging,' he added. Kerry did not apologize on behalf of the Obama administration for the slur. Rather, he claimed to have 'never heard that word around me in the White House or anywhere.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Secretary of State John Kerry said today that comments from the anonymous White House official who slurred Israeli PM Benjamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu neither reflect his views nor the president's . 'The assault on me comes only because I defend the State of Israel,' Netanyahu said after an unnamed Obama administration official called him a 'chicken***t' in a conversation with a reporter . 'I don't know who these anonymous people that we keep getting quoted in things,' he pondered aloud. 'But they make life much more difficult.' Kerry then touted the president's support for the Iron Dome, and said it wouldn't have been possible without him, and pointed to Obama's statements supporting Israel's right to defend itself as evidence that there's no hard feelings between Obama and his Israeli counterpart. The cabinet official's claims that he's never heard any one at the White House dis Netanyahu follows a New York Times report on Tuesday that alleged that Kerry is outside the president's inner circle, and as such, his views don't always reflect those of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 'White House officials joke that he is like the astronaut played by Sandra Bullock in the movie Gravity, somersaulting through space, untethered from the White House,' the Times wrote. The characterization of Kerry in the in-depth report allows for the possibility that an administration official did make unflattering statements about Netanyahu, but Kerry wasn't privy to them. The unnamed U.S. official's . reported description of Netanyahu as a . 'chicken***t', or worthless coward, drew a sharp response on . Wednesday from the Israeli leader – no stranger to acrimony with . the Obama administration – and a slam from America's Republican House Speaker. The American broadside, in an interview in The Atlantic, followed a month of heated exchanges between the . Netanyahu government and Washington over settlement-building in . Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, which Palestinians seek as the . capital of a future state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The White House soft-pedaled the insult as 'counterproductive' but offered no apology on Wednesday and didn't identify the official involved. 'The thing about Bibi is, he's a chicken***t,' the . unidentified official was quoted as saying, using Netanyahu's . nickname and a slang insult certain to redden the ears of the . U.S.-educated former commando. 'The good thing about Netanyahu is that he's scared to . launch wars,' the official said, alluding to past hints of . possible Israeli military action against Iran's nuclear . program. 'The bad thing about him is that he won't do anything . to reach an accommodation with the Palestinians or with the . Sunni Arab states.' Netanyahu, the official was reported to have said, is . interested only in 'protecting himself from political defeat ... He's got no guts.' Israeli leaders usually do not respond to comments by . unidentified officials. But Netanyahu addressed those remarks . directly in opening a memorial ceremony in parliament for an . Israeli cabinet minister assassinated by a Palestinian in 2001. 'I am not prepared to make concessions that will endanger our state,' Netanyahu said. 'Understand, our national interests, topped by security and the unity of Jerusalem, are not what top the interests of those anonymous forces attacking us, and me personally.' 'I am under attack simply because I am defending the State of Israel. If I didn't stand firm on our national interests, I would not be under attack.' Otherwise occupied: Obama ducked mention of the controversy by spending his day focused on Ebola – meeting with doctors and nurses in an orchestrated photo-op . 'Our supreme interests, chiefly the security and unity of . Jerusalem, are not the main concern of those anonymous officials . who attack us and me personally, as the assault on me comes only . because I defend the State of Israel,' the Israeli prime minister added. 'Despite all of the attacks I suffer, I will continue to . defend our country. I will continue to defend the citizens of . Israel,' he said. Such pledges by Netanyahu have resonated among Israeli . voters, even amid fears his strained relations with U.S. President Barack Obama could ultimately weaken support from . Israel's main diplomatic ally and arms provider. After Netanyahu's speech, Alistair Baskey, a spokesman for . the White House National Security Council, dismissed the . purported slur, denying that it reflected how the Obama . administration felt about the Israeli leader. 'Certainly that's not the administration's view, and we . think such comments are inappropriate and counterproductive.' The same word – 'counterproductive – was on White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest's crib sheet during a Wednesday briefing with reporters. 'Those comments do not reflect the United States' position, and they do not reflect the personal views of the President of the United States,' Earnest said. 'I am not aware of who made those comments .... I am not aware if the president knows who made those comments. I'd be surprised if he did.' Confronted with harsh criticism from John Boehner, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Earnest called it 'a little rich to have a lecture about profanity from the Speaker of the House.' Referring to the epithet 'chicken***t,' he claimed that Boehner has 'reportedly said that about the majority leader of the United States Senate,' Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday that the president doesn't know who called the Israeli prime minister a vulgar name, but that it was 'counterproductive' The speaker had hours earlier called it a 'failure' of Obama's leadership that 'disrespectful rhetoric' has been 'used time and again by this administration with respect to the special relationship the United States has with the state of Israel.' 'When the president discusses Israel and Iran, it is sometimes hard to tell who he thinks is America’s friend and who he thinks is America’s enemy,' Boehner said in a statement. 'The House of Representatives has no trouble drawing that distinction.' 'Over the last several months, I have watched the administration insult ally after ally. I am tired of the administration’s apology tour. The president sets the tone for his administration. He either condones the profanity and disrespect used by the most senior members of his administration, or he does not.' Boehner's statement referred specifically to the use of vulgar language as a slam against a head of state, not the use of foul language in general. Some Israeli pundits predict an Israeli election in 2015, . two years early, speculation seemingly supported by increasingly . vocal challenges to Netanyahu's policies from senior ministers to the . left and right of him within the coalition government. Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, whose ultranationalist . Jewish Home party belongs to the coalition but who has had testy . relations with Netanyahu, defended him on Wednesday. 'The prime minister of Israel is not a private person. He is . the leader of the Jewish state and the entire Jewish people. Cursing the prime minister and calling him names is an insult . not just to him but to the millions of Israeli citizens and Jews . across the globe,' he wrote on Faceboook. Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog sounded a more . critical note, telling Channel Two television: 'Netanyahu is . acting like a political pyromaniac, and he has brought our . relations with the United States to an unprecedented low.' In a series of recent speeches widely seen in Israel as . setting the stage for a possible poll, Netanyahu has highlighted . growing security concerns in the wake of the July-August war . with Hamas in Gaza and regional unrest that has brought Islamist . militants to Israel's northern border with Syria. Drawing Palestinian outrage and a State Department . accusation that Israel was distancing peace, Netanyahu pledged . on Monday to fast-track plans for 1,000 new settler homes in . Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem. Netanyahu described criticism as being 'detached from . reality', saying Jews had a right to live anywhere in Jerusalem, . regarded by Israel as its united capital - a claim not . internationally recognised. Baskey, the U.S. spokesman, acknowledged longstanding policy . differences between Israel and Washington over settlements. 'Obviously, despite the extremely close relationship between the . U.S. and Israel, we do not agree on every issue,' he said. 'For instance we have repeatedly made clear the United . States' longstanding view that settlement activity is . illegitimate and complicates efforts to achieve a two-state . solution.' Despite these differences 'the U.S.-Israel . relationship remains as strong as ever', Baskey added. Most countries and the World Court deem the settlements . Israel has built in areas captured in a 1967 war to be illegal. Israel disputes this, and has settled 500,000 Jews in East . Jerusalem and the West Bank, among 2.4 million Palestinians.
Unnamed Obama administration official used the slur against Israel's prime minister .
White House called the line 'counterproductive' but offered no apology .
Kerry said such language does 'not reflect the president, it does not reflect me' and claimed to have 'never heard that word' used at the White House .
House Speaker John Boehner ripped Obama, saying 'he either condones the profanity and disrespect used by the most senior members of his administration, or he does not'
Netanyahu said 'the assault on me comes only because I defend the State of Israel'
Secretary of State John Kerry admonished the anonymous White House official who reportedly called Benjamin Netanyahu a 'chicken***t' on Thursday, saying the description of Israeli Prime Minister reflects neither his nor the president's opinion of the world leader. 'We condemn anybody who uses language such as was used in this article,' Kerry said during an on-stage interview at the Washington Ideas Forum. 'It is disgraceful, unacceptable, damaging,' he added. Kerry did not apologize on behalf of the Obama administration for the slur. Rather, he claimed to have 'never heard that word around me in the White House or anywhere.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Secretary of State John Kerry said today that comments from the anonymous White House official who slurred Israeli PM Benjamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu neither reflect his views nor the president's . 'The assault on me comes only because I defend the State of Israel,' Netanyahu said after an unnamed Obama administration official called him a 'chicken***t' in a conversation with a reporter . 'I don't know who these anonymous people that we keep getting quoted in things,' he pondered aloud. 'But they make life much more difficult.' Kerry then touted the president's support for the Iron Dome, and said it wouldn't have been possible without him, and pointed to Obama's statements supporting Israel's right to defend itself as evidence that there's no hard feelings between Obama and his Israeli counterpart. The cabinet official's claims that he's never heard any one at the White House dis Netanyahu follows a New York Times report on Tuesday that alleged that Kerry is outside the president's inner circle, and as such, his views don't always reflect those of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 'White House officials joke that he is like the astronaut played by Sandra Bullock in the movie Gravity, somersaulting through space, untethered from the White House,' the Times wrote. The characterization of Kerry in the in-depth report allows for the possibility that an administration official did make unflattering statements about Netanyahu, but Kerry wasn't privy to them. The unnamed U.S. official's . reported description of Netanyahu as a . 'chicken***t', or worthless coward, drew a sharp response on . Wednesday from the Israeli leader – no stranger to acrimony with . the Obama administration – and a slam from America's Republican House Speaker. The American broadside, in an interview in The Atlantic, followed a month of heated exchanges between the . Netanyahu government and Washington over settlement-building in . Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, which Palestinians seek as the . capital of a future state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The White House soft-pedaled the insult as 'counterproductive' but offered no apology on Wednesday and didn't identify the official involved. 'The thing about Bibi is, he's a chicken***t,' the . unidentified official was quoted as saying, using Netanyahu's . nickname and a slang insult certain to redden the ears of the . U.S.-educated former commando. 'The good thing about Netanyahu is that he's scared to . launch wars,' the official said, alluding to past hints of . possible Israeli military action against Iran's nuclear . program. 'The bad thing about him is that he won't do anything . to reach an accommodation with the Palestinians or with the . Sunni Arab states.' Netanyahu, the official was reported to have said, is . interested only in 'protecting himself from political defeat ... He's got no guts.' Israeli leaders usually do not respond to comments by . unidentified officials. But Netanyahu addressed those remarks . directly in opening a memorial ceremony in parliament for an . Israeli cabinet minister assassinated by a Palestinian in 2001. 'I am not prepared to make concessions that will endanger our state,' Netanyahu said. 'Understand, our national interests, topped by security and the unity of Jerusalem, are not what top the interests of those anonymous forces attacking us, and me personally.' 'I am under attack simply because I am defending the State of Israel. If I didn't stand firm on our national interests, I would not be under attack.' Otherwise occupied: Obama ducked mention of the controversy by spending his day focused on Ebola – meeting with doctors and nurses in an orchestrated photo-op . 'Our supreme interests, chiefly the security and unity of . Jerusalem, are not the main concern of those anonymous officials . who attack us and me personally, as the assault on me comes only . because I defend the State of Israel,' the Israeli prime minister added. 'Despite all of the attacks I suffer, I will continue to . defend our country. I will continue to defend the citizens of . Israel,' he said. Such pledges by Netanyahu have resonated among Israeli . voters, even amid fears his strained relations with U.S. President Barack Obama could ultimately weaken support from . Israel's main diplomatic ally and arms provider. After Netanyahu's speech, Alistair Baskey, a spokesman for . the White House National Security Council, dismissed the . purported slur, denying that it reflected how the Obama . administration felt about the Israeli leader. 'Certainly that's not the administration's view, and we . think such comments are inappropriate and counterproductive.' The same word – 'counterproductive – was on White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest's crib sheet during a Wednesday briefing with reporters. 'Those comments do not reflect the United States' position, and they do not reflect the personal views of the President of the United States,' Earnest said. 'I am not aware of who made those comments .... I am not aware if the president knows who made those comments. I'd be surprised if he did.' Confronted with harsh criticism from John Boehner, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Earnest called it 'a little rich to have a lecture about profanity from the Speaker of the House.' Referring to the epithet 'chicken***t,' he claimed that Boehner has 'reportedly said that about the majority leader of the United States Senate,' Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday that the president doesn't know who called the Israeli prime minister a vulgar name, but that it was 'counterproductive' The speaker had hours earlier called it a 'failure' of Obama's leadership that 'disrespectful rhetoric' has been 'used time and again by this administration with respect to the special relationship the United States has with the state of Israel.' 'When the president discusses Israel and Iran, it is sometimes hard to tell who he thinks is America’s friend and who he thinks is America’s enemy,' Boehner said in a statement. 'The House of Representatives has no trouble drawing that distinction.' 'Over the last several months, I have watched the administration insult ally after ally. I am tired of the administration’s apology tour. The president sets the tone for his administration. He either condones the profanity and disrespect used by the most senior members of his administration, or he does not.' Boehner's statement referred specifically to the use of vulgar language as a slam against a head of state, not the use of foul language in general. Some Israeli pundits predict an Israeli election in 2015, . two years early, speculation seemingly supported by increasingly . vocal challenges to Netanyahu's policies from senior ministers to the . left and right of him within the coalition government. Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, whose ultranationalist . Jewish Home party belongs to the coalition but who has had testy . relations with Netanyahu, defended him on Wednesday. 'The prime minister of Israel is not a private person. He is . the leader of the Jewish state and the entire Jewish people. Cursing the prime minister and calling him names is an insult . not just to him but to the millions of Israeli citizens and Jews . across the globe,' he wrote on Faceboook. Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog sounded a more . critical note, telling Channel Two television: 'Netanyahu is . acting like a political pyromaniac, and he has brought our . relations with the United States to an unprecedented low.' In a series of recent speeches widely seen in Israel as . setting the stage for a possible poll, Netanyahu has highlighted . growing security concerns in the wake of the July-August war . with Hamas in Gaza and regional unrest that has brought Islamist . militants to Israel's northern border with Syria. Drawing Palestinian outrage and a State Department . accusation that Israel was distancing peace, Netanyahu pledged . on Monday to fast-track plans for 1,000 new settler homes in . Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem. Netanyahu described criticism as being 'detached from . reality', saying Jews had a right to live anywhere in Jerusalem, . regarded by Israel as its united capital - a claim not . internationally recognised. Baskey, the U.S. spokesman, acknowledged longstanding policy . differences between Israel and Washington over settlements. 'Obviously, despite the extremely close relationship between the . U.S. and Israel, we do not agree on every issue,' he said. 'For instance we have repeatedly made clear the United . States' longstanding view that settlement activity is . illegitimate and complicates efforts to achieve a two-state . solution.' Despite these differences 'the U.S.-Israel . relationship remains as strong as ever', Baskey added. Most countries and the World Court deem the settlements . Israel has built in areas captured in a 1967 war to be illegal. Israel disputes this, and has settled 500,000 Jews in East . Jerusalem and the West Bank, among 2.4 million Palestinians.
administration for the slur. Rather, he claimed to have 'never heard that word around me in the 'The assault on me comes only because I defend unnamed Obama administration official called him any one at the White House dis Netanyahu follows insult as 'counterproductive' but offered no because I defend the State of Israel,' the comments do not reflect the United States' John Boehner, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Earnest said Wednesday that the president doesn't condones the profanity and disrespect used by the most senior members of his administration, or he him on Wednesday. 'The prime minister of Israel