Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump and son-in-law, attended a Senate Republican call on Tuesday to discuss the planned sale 23 billion sale of F-35 fighter jets, rapper drones and weapons in the UAE.
Senators from both parties have voiced various concerns about the sale – including its rapidity and its potential impact on human rights and broader regional security – and whether Congress is properly involved in the process.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
That resolution is expected to be put to a vote this week. It is unclear whether there is enough support to pass it, but a Democratic aide told CNN that “the kind of full court press the White House is doing indicates they are terrified of the vote count.”
Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs R. Clark Cooper told reporters on Tuesday that the State Department would “continue to work on letters with the UAE” before the expiration of the Friday -07-day congressional notification period and offered and agreed to, if concluded, finalize any deal. “
“We continue to engage in a healthy and productive dialogue with Congress as the process continues,” he said.
Cooper told reporters that “diligence and then the benefit of this sale was in the wake of the Abraham Accord” and claimed that Israel’s recognition of the Persian Gulf nation by Iran would “bring more risk” to the region.
A senior State Department official told CNN that State Department officials have clashed with Congress several times over arms sales, and that the main issues of concern are the security of technological transfers and the impact on Israel’s qualitative military edge – comparable technical, tactical and other weapons. Allowing to maintain military superiority in the field.
Israeli government officials have indicated they are not opposed to the sale to the UAE, but there are concerns about techno-transfer g – and how to prevent that sensitive tech from falling into the hands of the opposition.
“Unless you’re convinced that the technology transfer is safe, you can’t keep that sale fast, and we can’t tell members of Congress that we have all the assurances we need,” said a senior State Department official.
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