[An Nahar] U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you knowKerry
Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a
lucky hat,conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State...
's return to Israel on Wednesday comes at a time of heated debate in the Jewish state over its alliance with Washington.
The visit will be his first since world powers including the U.S. on November 24 signed an interim nuclear accord with Iran that has angered Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted the accord, under which Iran agreed to roll back parts of its nuclear program in return for limited sanctions relief, as a "historic mistake".
His condemnation has not been toned down by repeated U.S. assurances, including from President Barack Obama
My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it...
, that Iran would never be allowed to develop a nuclear bomb.
Netanyahu himself has now come under criticism at home for challenging Israel's closest ally.
A former prime minister, Ehud Olmert, accused his outspoken rightwing successor of having "declared war against Barack Obama's administration".
And Finance Minister Yair Lapid, a member of the center-right Yesh Atid party in the governing coalition, has also questioned Netanyahu's tactics.
"We can have disputes within the family as long as they stay in the family" and are not made public, the minister said.
"It's better to tone down (rhetoric) against the Americans since a clash serves no good purpose."
But Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin told army radio Tuesday that Israel should focus on its own security rather than pander to its long-time ally.