Israeli Lawmaker Criticizes Netanyahu's US Speech A senior Israeli lawmaker and former military chief says Iran's nuclear program is not only a threat to the Jewish state but a burning issue for the whole world. Shaul Mofaz remarks offered indirect criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to AIPAC, the pro-Israel group in Washington. Mofaz, chairman of parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee, says it was a mistake for Netanyahu to frame Iran's nuclear activities as an imminent existential threat to Israel. Mofaz told Israel Radio on Tuesday that "Israel is not a ghetto" and that it should not act alone. Israel believes Tehran is close to nuclear weapons capability and warns of a possible military strike on Iran. The U.S. believes sanctions on Iran have yet to run their course.