A top adviser to President Barack Obama says the relationship between the U.S. and Israel remains strong despite sometimes blunt talk between the two countries.
David Axelrod tells CNN's "State of the Union" that Israel is a close and valued friend of the United States. He says there's an unshakable bond, but sometimes blunt talk is part of friendship.
He says the peace process is essential to Israel's security, and the administration is doing all it can to move that process forward.
Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said this past week he thought some progress had been made in defusing an unusually public spat over new Israeli housing in east Jerusalem.