JERUSALEM — Israel’s strictly Orthodox minister of religious services said Tuesday that he did not consider Reform Jews to be Jewish, inflaming internal discord over religious issues and underscoring tensions with American Jews, who mostly belong to the more liberal streams of Conservative and Reform Judaism.

“The moment a Reform Jew stops following the religion of Israel, let’s say there’s a problem,” the minister, David Azoulay of the Shas party, said on Army Radio, adding, “I cannot allow myself to call such a person a Jew.”

Mr. Azoulay said he did not want to be the one to determine who is a Jew and who is not. When he was asked specifically about American Reform Jews, Mr. Azoulay referred to people who “try to fake and do not carry out the religious law properly, and give it other interpretations.”

“These are Jews who erred along the way,” he added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Mr. Azoulay’s remarks. In a statement, he described them as “hurtful” and said they “do not reflect the position of the government.” Mr. Netanyahu said he had spoken with Mr. Azoulay “to remind him that Israel is a home for all Jews and that as minister of religious affairs, he serves all of Israel’s citizens.”