Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman slammed Economy Minister Naftali Bennett on Saturday over remarks he made against U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Bennett had attacked Kerry for drawing a connection between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and extremism in the Middle East.

While he did not explicitly back Kerry, Lieberman lauded the United States' support for Israel. “There can be disagreements among friends, but one doesn’t have to attack someone,” Lieberman said on Channel 2’s “Meet the Press.”

He noted that Bennett’s remarks “might earn him votes, but cause [Israel] a lot of damage.”

Lieberman added that the United States helps Israel in many important diplomatic and military ways. “When the supply of ammunition ran out during Operation Protective Edge, it was the United States that supplied it,” Lieberman said. “The Americans were the ones who gave the money for Iron Dome. The United States was the one that helped us at the United Nations Human Rights Council and they prevent a lot of trouble in the Security Council with vetoes.”

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon released a statement Saturday that did not refer to Kerry’s remarks but emphasized the importance of Israel's ties with the United States. Ya’alon has in the past gotten into hot water with Kerry over the Palestinians and even insulted the U.S. secretary of state personally. His unusual comment Saturday was made on the backdrop of his trip that night to the United States.

Bennett, who criticized Kerry, is also Ya’alon’s political rival, and the latter has taken the former to task in a number of interviews over the past few days.

During his visit to the United States Ya’alon will meet with his American counterpart, Chuck Hagel. At press time, no meeting had been scheduled for Ya'alon and Kerry.

“Relations between the United States and Israel are based on common interests and values and some disagreement or other must not overshadow them,” Ya’alon said in his statement. "The United States is helping Israel in a variety of areas, [including], of course, with matters of security, and we must remember this and be grateful for it and the [American] leaders.”

Ya’alon described U.S.-Israeli security ties as “intimate," and "unprecedented" in terms of their extent and importance to Israel's security, and said he maintained close ties with Hagel.

During his Channel 2 interview, Lieberman attacked European Union countries over the rising tide of criticism against Israel and increasing support for the Palestinians. “The attitude Europe has toward Israel today is like the attitude Europe had toward Czechoslovakia in 1938,” he said.

Lieberman added that Europe's leftist parties are not at all interested in the Palestinian issue and are only using it to enlist Muslim voters. “The Muslim community in Sweden is 25 times the size of the Jewish community and in France and Britain it is 10 times the size,” he said. “This is political bribery,” he added. “Young Ed Miliband (leader of the British Labour Party) wants to enlist the Muslim community to vote for him,” Lieberman said.

The foreign minister also said Israel must “insist strongly on our interests and withstand all the pressures.”

Bennett responded to Lieberman's criticism against him by saying: “The United States is our great friend and we support this relationship. But I stand behind my remarks. After Kerry said outright that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict feeds and strengthens Islamic State, there was an obligation to respond quickly so the comparison would never be repeated. Terror mustn't be shown any understanding, nor should it ever be backed. It should be fought.”