JERUSALEM - Israel's current political situation is very delicate and everyone needs do their utmost to preserve it, Defense Minister Ehud Barak stressed Thursday.

"The attacks made by Israeli senior ministers against US attempts to further the peace process, and the scathing opposition to Palestinian Authority leaders greatly endangers our severely delicate political situation," Barak underlined.

The comments came after Interior Minister Eli Yishai's earlier statement in which he insisted the government would continue to build in Jerusalem, and that "the government will not give in to American pressure."

Barak recommended that "everyone, both us and the Palestinians, proceed responsibly in order to prevent provocative and reckless statements."

According to Barak, these words damage Israel's interests with the US and the international community. "These attacks make Israel appear to be opposed to peace, and they erode our international standpoint."

Earlier Thursday, Yishai had asserted that Israel would continue to build in Jerusalem, saying that "we will build everywhere in the capital of the Jewish nation's everlasting homeland, and I have clarified this to our American counterparts and friends."

Yishai went on to say that Israel did not agree to freeze construction in the capital, adding, "The government will not give in to American pressure."

"There is not and never has been a freeze on construction in Jerusalem, nor will there ever be," Yishai reiterated.