US criticism of Israel’s settlement policies has slowed down construction in the West Bank, Israel’s defence minister said in comments broadcast on Wednesday, adding that he hopes the slowdown will be “temporary” because the Obama administration “won’t be around forever”.

The minister, Moshe Yaalon, has previously derided US peace efforts in the Middle East, calling the secretary of state, John Kerry, “obsessive” and “messianic”. Those comments rankled Washington officials and stoked tensions with Israel’s most important ally.

Speaking on Tuesday at a Jewish seminary in the West Bank, Yaalon said Israel wants to build more settlement housing but that global criticism, led by the United States, has prompted restraint.

“The United States has led the charge,” Yaalon said. “We are very, very careful not to push the envelope too much … This [US] administration won’t be around forever and I hope it is temporary.”

The remarks, broadcast on Israeli Army Radio, could lead to further tensions between Israel and Washington – tensions that were clearly on display in October, when the US refused Yaalon’s requests to meet several top national security aides during a visit to Washington.

Kerry is expected to meet the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, in Rome on Monday, a senior US official and an official in Jerusalem said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the meeting before it is announced publicly. They declined to disclose the meeting’s agenda. With Israel in the midst of an election campaign, the odds of restarting peace talks are slim.

The Obama administration has long had a tense dynamic with Netanyahu, mostly for his close relationship with the Republican Party and for what is sometimes seen as a lecturing tone toward President Barack Obama. Disagreements over Israel’s West Bank settlement policies have also often flared tensions.

The anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now says no new settlement building plans have been announced since a meeting between Obama and Netanyahu in October, but that building of previously announced housing continues.