Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon on Sunday praised ties with the Pentagon in an effort to amend bilateral relations after he criticized US foreign policy.

For Israel, the United States is both "a strategic ally and our greatest friend. The relations are a cornerstone in the national security of Israel," Ya'alon said told media after meeting with Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, in Jerusalem on Sunday.

He thanked the US military's top commander for being "a true friend" of Israel and its military.

Ya'alon made the remarks after he criticized the Obama administration for its "feeble" international image, in comments made during a speech leaked by Israeli media earlier this month, sparking the wrath of the White House which demanded a formal apology.

In January, the defense minister came under fire after Israeli daily tabloid Yediot Aharonot revealed in a front page headline that he had called US Secretary of State John Kerry "messianic and obsessive" in his intransigent pursuit of advancing peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. "He should just take his Nobel Prize and leave us alone," the paper quoted Ya'alon as saying at the time.

"We are in a critical week in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and we appreciate the efforts of Secretary of State Kerry and the commitment and contribution of President Obama to the effort," Ya' alon said Sunday.

General Dempsey, who arrived in Israel on Sunday for a three- day visit with the country's top military and political leaders that will likely focus on Iran's nuclear program, the ongoing Syrian war and other issues, affirmed Ya'alon's comments on America's unwavering commitment to Israel's security.

"This is a time when we need to remain closer and you have our commitment to do that," said Dempsey.