Israel's defense minister called US Secretary of State John Kerry's quest for Israeli-Palestinian peace "messianic," a newspaper said on Tuesday, reporting what it described as remarks made behind closed doors.

Moshe Yaalon's spokesperson declined comment on the report in Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's biggest-selling paper.

"Secretary of State John Kerry, who has come to us determined and is acting out of an incomprehensible obsession and a messianic feeling,  cannot teach me a single thing about the conflict with the Palestinians," Yaalon was quoted as saying.

The report appeared hours after US Vice President Joe Biden left Israel, where he attended the funeral of former leader Ariel Sharon and held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Yedioth said Yaalon voiced his comments in private conversations before one of Kerry's recent mediation visits to the region, but gave no date.

Kerry has been on a diplomatic blitz in recent weeks to persuade Israel and the Palestinians, who resumed statehood talks in July after a three-year deadlock, to agree on an outline proposal addressing the core issues of their conflict.

"The only thing that can save us is if Kerry wins the Nobel prize and leaves us alone," Yaalon was quoted as saying.

Yaalon has often cast doubt on the chances of reaching a deal with the Palestinians. He is a member of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and a former army chief who was replaced  before Israel's 2005 unilateral pullout from the Gaza Strip, a move he opposed.

Israel's chief negotiator with the Palestinians, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, rallied to Kerry's defence on her Facebook page, hailing what she described as his commitment to Israel.

"One can object to the talks in a matter-of-fact and responsible manner without lashing out and wrecking relations with our best of friends," she said.

One of the sticking points in the negotiations, which have shown few signs of progress, has been Israel's demand to maintain a military presence  in the Jordan Valley.

Kerry has presented the sides with ideas for security arrangements in the valley, but neither side has endorsed them.

According to the newspaper report, Yaalon said "The American security plan is not worth the paper it is written on."

Yaalon has often cast doubt on the peace intentions of Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas, who seeks a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Reuters