Mofaz: Possibility of elections should not influence Iran decisions

Opposition leader Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) took Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to task on Sunday for his speech at the UN General Assembly, implying that the prime minister might be letting political considerations influence his policy vis-à-vis Iran.

In an Army Radio interview, Mofaz said that Netanyahu must have considered the possibility that early elections could be called if the 2013 budget is not approved, and hinted that the prime minister’s threats to use military force against Iran’s nuclear program could be a ploy to avoid early elections.

“I do not want to imagine that the possibility of military action or war is a consideration in the eyes of the prime minister to change the date of elections,” Mofaz said, suggesting that voters and MKs would avoid elections and the political instability they would bring in case of an attack.

“The Iranian issue should be dealt with as if there are no elections, and the elections should be held as if there is no timetable for Iran to go nuclear,” Mofaz added.

In his UN speech last Thursday, Netanyahu made headlines by using a bomb graphic to illustrate his call for the world to adopt his policy of “red lines” — defined as Iran possessing enough 20%-enriched uranium to build a nuclear weapon — after which military action against the Islamic Republic would be necessary.