An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft performs at an air show during graduation … [+]
The US may sell F-35 stealth fighters to the United Arab Emirates, according to Israeli media.
If true, it would be Washington’s reward to the UAE for that recent decision by the Persian Gulf nation to normalize relations with Israel.
“The administration of US President Donald Trump is set to sell F-35 fighter jets and advanced drones to the UAE in a secret clause that was part of the agreement on diplomatic ties between Israel and the Gulf nation. to establish, “says the Ynet news site of Israel, quoting anonymous sources from the US and Emirati.
“The clause raises long-standing Israeli opposition to the sale of the strategic weapons systems to other countries in the region,” it said.
Within hours of the first news release, the Israeli government condemned the report as “false news.”
“The peace agreement with the UAE does not include a clause of this kind, and the US has made it clear to Israel that it will always ensure that Israel has a qualitative advantage,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Since the Arab-Israeli War of 1973, American policy has been that Israel should always have better weapons than its enemies and neighbors, including American allies who use American weapons. While there has been friction at times – such as the Reagan administration’s 1981 decision to sell AWACS radar aircraft despite Israel’s opposition, that policy is especially true. Egypt and Jordan, for example, signed a peace treaty with Israel: in return, they received American weapons such as F-16 fighters and M-1 tanks, but not the most advanced models.
That would sell the US its leading stealthfighter to an Arab nation that was an enemy – though never a particularly enthusiastic one from Israel? In fact, the most important certainty in the Middle East at the moment is that there are no certainties. Just 10 years ago, could anyone have imagined that Syria would disintegrate, and that Iranian and Russian troops would be on the Golan Heights? Or that the Sunni Arab world would make friends with Israel as a defense against Shia Iran?
In a world turned upside down, it would not be a surprise if the Trump administration had secretly agreed to sell F-35s to the UAE as a stimulus for a peace operation. It would also not be surprising if Israel, despite the mandatory public protests, finally accepted the F-35 sale.
Israel wants to make friends – or at least non-enemies – in the Arab world. Persian Gulf states such as the UAE are small in size, sparsely populated and dwarfed by the hegemonic district of Iran. They want to take advantage of Israeli technological capabilities – and perhaps a discreet Israeli military umbrella against Iranian aggression. The players in this deal have an incentive to work it out.
But as always in the Middle East, the devil is in the details. The F-35 has so far only been offered to the US and its NATO partners, as well as close US allies such as Israel, Japan and South Korea. In fact, Israel received special permission to customize its F-35 Adir variant with features such as additional fuel tanks and software designed by Israel.
How advanced would the UAE’s F-35s be? In Israeli eyes, the current Arab friend could be the enemy of tomorrow. There is no way that Israel will purchase UAE F-35s without technological restrictions.
If the UAE can also get stealth fighters in exchange for making peace with Israel, what about the other Arab states? There are reports that Bahrain and Oman could normalize relations with Israel, and even a remote chance that Saudi Arabia – which has already asked for the F-35 – could do the same. How many peoples in the Middle East will get advanced arms as a reward for a peace action?
There is also the question of Iran’s response. Iran is already nervous about the prospect of arch-enemy Israel sending stealth jets to destroy its nuclear sites. But Israel is a thousand miles away. Tehran will not be happy about Gulf F-35s on its borders.
One may also ask whether the Middle East needs even more advanced weapons. However, if a few stealth jets are the price of turning enemies into friends, it can be a good deal.
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