Israel ‘very comfortable’ with $23B UAE arms sale, says ambassador
Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer said the sale won't undermine Israel's military advantage in the Middle East.
Israel is “very comfortable” with the Trump administration’s proposed $23 billion weapons sale to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer said on Monday, despite mounting concerns in Congress that the arms deal could threaten Israel’s military advantage in the region.
The State Department formally notified Congress earlier this month that it planned to sell Abu Dhabi $23.4 billion worth of advanced weaponry, including 50 F-35 fighter jets, 18 armament-ready MQ-9B drones and a package of precision munitions. The transfer would make the UAE the first Arab country to obtain Lockheed Martin’s F-35, the world's most advanced fighter aircraft.
“We strongly believe this agreement, this arms package, will not violate the US commitment to maintain Israel’s qualitative military edge,” Dermer said during an interview Monday with MSNBC’s "Morning Joe."
The proposed sale follows the signing of the US-brokered Abraham Accords in September, during which the UAE and Bahrain agreed to establish full ties with Israel in exchange for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding off on Israel’s planned annexation of portions of the West Bank.
