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Hotovely's statement comes amid a widening rift between the Israeli government and many US Jews after Netanyahu reneged on a plan to build a mixed-gender prayer space at Judaism's holiest site in Jerusalem, following pressure from ultra-Orthodox parties in Israel.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemns Tzipi Hotovely's offensive remarks regarding the American Jewish community," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
"The Jews of the Diaspora are dear to us and are an inseparable part of our people. There is no place for such attacks, and her remarks do not reflect the position of the State of Israel."
In an interview on Wednesday night on the i24 television station Hotovely, of Netanyahu's conservative Likud party, said US Jews "never send their children to fight for their country."
"Most of them are having quite convenient lives. They don't feel how it feels to be attacked by rockets," she said.
The Western Wall holy site in Jerusalem's Old City is administered by ultra-Orthodox Jews who adhere to a strict interpretation of Judaism that forbids mixed-gender prayer services.
Many US Jews oppose the ultra-Orthodox control, saying it stifles their ability to practise a more liberal form of Judaism.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemns Tzipi Hotovely's offensive remarks regarding the American Jewish community," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
"The Jews of the Diaspora are dear to us and are an inseparable part of our people. There is no place for such attacks, and her remarks do not reflect the position of the State of Israel."
In an interview on Wednesday night on the i24 television station Hotovely, of Netanyahu's conservative Likud party, said US Jews "never send their children to fight for their country."
"Most of them are having quite convenient lives. They don't feel how it feels to be attacked by rockets," she said.
The Western Wall holy site in Jerusalem's Old City is administered by ultra-Orthodox Jews who adhere to a strict interpretation of Judaism that forbids mixed-gender prayer services.
Many US Jews oppose the ultra-Orthodox control, saying it stifles their ability to practise a more liberal form of Judaism.
