Settlement Affairs Minister Tzachi Hanegbi said Aug. 25 that Israel opposes the sale of “even one screw” of the F-35 fighter jet to any country in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates. “We oppose the sale of even one screw of one plane of the stealth fighters to any country in the Middle East, if we have peace with them or not. That’s our position, and it has been presented in the past and has been clarified in recent weeks.’’
Hanegbi is considered a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Still, some Israeli reports claim that Netanyahu knew about such a possibility ahead of announcing the normalization agreement with the UAE. But Netanyahu, speaking at a joint Aug. 24 press conference with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said, "I have to say simply that this deal did not include Israel’s acceptance of any arms deal and I don’t know of any arms deal that has been agreed upon. It may be contemplated; our position hasn’t changed.’’
The revelation of the American intention to sell F-35 fighter jets to the UAE generated controversy in Israel. After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the United States pledged to preserve Israel’s “qualitative military edge” in the region by considering Jerusalem’s position before selling advanced weapons to any of the country’s neighbors.
The F-35 stealth jet is one of the most sophisticated aircraft in the world. According to reports, Israel has so far received more than 20 F-35 jets. Dozens more will be delivered in coming years. From the Israel Defense Force’s point of view, the stealth jet is a major component in Israel’s military advantage in the Middle East, which is why the sale of such airplanes to the UAE brought such harsh reactions. Still, Israel cannot prevent the United States from going ahead with the sale; Israel can only try to place hurdles in the way of such a deal. In his remarks, Hanegbi acknowledged that reality, saying, “The Americans are not required to accept our position. They didn’t accept it when they decided to sell the stealth fighters to the Turks, who are not an enemy state, but whom we understand we could have some kind of a conflict with.’’
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