Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s comments on Iran have triggered a backlash among some in Washington and the American media this week, as he was slammed for undermining Israel’s closest ally and trying to influence American politics.

In an unusual public display of criticism from an influential member of the US Senate, California Democrat Barbara Boxer wrote a letter to Netanyahu Wednesday to express “my deep disappointment over your remarks that call into question our country’s support for Israel.” She went on to describe them as “utterly contrary to the extraordinary United States- Israel alliance.”

On Tuesday, Netanyahu – in response to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s statement that the US wasn’t setting deadlines for Iran – said, “"Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel."

Boxer’s letter, made public, calls on Netanyahu to “step back and clarify your remarks so that the world sees that there is no daylight between the United States and Israel.”

The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the letter.

Boxer, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a regular at pro-Israel events, described herself in the letter as “one of Israel’s staunchest supporters in Congress.”