Israel has not softened its opposition to all U.S. arms sales to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that could diminish its military superiority as part of a normalization of U.S. brokers’ ties, said the Prime Minister’s Office. Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.
The statement follows a report in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth that the Trump administration is planning a ‘giant’ sale of advanced F-35 jets to the UAE as part of the Gulf Gulf movement last week to normalize ties with Israel.
Under concepts that date back decades, Washington has refused to sell arms from the Middle East that could stump Israel’s “qualitative military edge.” This has applied to the F-35, denied to Arab states, while Israel has bought and deployed it.
“In the conversations [on the UAE normalisation deal], Israel changed its consistent positions against the sale to any country in the Middle East of weapons and defense technologies that could tip [military] balance, “said Netanyahu’s Office.
The US Embassy in Jerusalem and representatives of the UAE Government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
‘No policy change’
Eli Cohen, Israel’s intelligence minister, also said on Tuesday that he was aware of no change in policy against the US sale of advanced weapons to Arab states.
He declined to comment on the UAE, which is currently unable to buy the F-35 – but what the U.S. administration has said could be unspecified new U.S. arms sales after Thursday’s announcement of normalization.
“I know of no change in the position and policy of the State of Israel,” Cohen told the public broadcaster Kan. “I tell you, Israel has not given its consent to come along and change the regime.”
Several sources told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that they feared that Netanyahu could leave Israel’s fierce opposition to the sale of military equipment and technology to the UAE, in particular the F-35 advanced fighter jet.
An earlier plan to sell U.S. F-35 jets to the UAE was blocked by the U.S. Congress under pressure from the Israel lobby in Washington, Haaretz reported.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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