U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the anonymous Obama administration official who was cited calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "chickenshit" Thursday, saying the characterization reflects neither his personal view nor the prevailing viewpoint at the White House.

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"It is disgraceful, unacceptable, damaging," Kerry said, adding that the administration condemns anyone who "uses the language such as was used in this article."

Kerry was referring to the bruising remarks an unnamed White House official used to describe the Jewish leader in an article written by journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, a Washington insider and an expert in U.S.-Israel relations, for The Atlantic Tuesday.

Kerry did not issue an apology from the White House, and instead said that he never heard the "chickenshit" reference around him among administration circles.

He added that he does not know who the anonymous officials were -another was quoted saying Israel's premier is a "coward" on the issue of Tehran's nuclear threat-but indicated such remarks strain U.S.-Israel diplomatic ties.  

Kerry's statements allude to his alleged non-membership in Obama's close circle of trusted advisers.

The New York Times reported Wednesday how secretary of state often seems out of sync with official administration statements.

The in-depth report went on to say that within White House circlesm he is portrayed as the astronaut played by Sandra Bullock in the film "Gravity," alone in space and largely disconnected from the White House.

The Daily Mail speculates that the administration officials may have, in fact, characterized Israel's prime minister using colorful, offensive language, but the Kerry was not privy to them.  

The administration sought damage control Wednesday as the inflammatory comments threatened to further deteriorate the uneasy relations between Washington and Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, in a speech delivered Wednesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated Israel's deep ties with the United States and indicated that such personal attacks were made because of his defense of the State of Israel, its national interests and security. 

TagsJohn Kerry, U.S.-Israel, chickenshit comment, Benjamin Netanyahu, Obama official