The agreement to formalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates did not include allowing the latter to purchase F-35 fighter jets, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday, following reports to the contrary.Furthermore, the agreement did not include any arms deals between the US and the UAE.“To begin with, the prime minister opposed selling the F-35 and advanced weaponry to any countries in the Middle East, including Arab states that make peace with Israel,” the PMO statement reads. “The prime minister expressed this consistent stance time after time before the US government and it hasn’t changed.”Netanyahu spoke with US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman on July 7 and specifically expressed that opposition. On July 8, Netanyahu sent a letter making that point to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, via Friedman, clarifying that his position stands even in the framework of drawing up peace agreements.The prime minister updated Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz on the matter on July 29.On August 3, Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer met with Pompeo and reiterated the Israeli position.“The peace agreement with the UAE does not include any article on the matter and the US made clear to Israel that it will always make sure to protect Israel’s qualitative edge,” the PMO stated.Gantz said that Israel will not take any risks to the country’s security in exchange for a deal with the UAE and that it was possible to make a deal with the Gulf country without risking Israel’s qualitative military edge.”It is possible and necessary to make a peace agreement while remaining responsible for our security,” he said at a press conference shortly after being released from hospital.”We must not take security risks but we must promote this agreement. I will talk to the Defense Minister of the Emirates like (Foreign Minister Gabi) Ashkenazi spoke with his UAE counterpart,” he said. “We will support the government’s effort and make sure that our security interests will remain protected. Stressing that the F-35 “is the best combat aircraft in the world,” Gantz said that “it’s not a good idea that it will be in the hands of others” in the region and that Jerusalem will speak with Washington and Abu Dhabi.”Israel’s resilience depends on adhering to Israel’s air superiority everywhere in the Middle East and as long as I am Defense Minister there won’t be any discussions regarding Israel’s security considerations without me knowing,” he said. “We will make sure that our security in the region is not at risk.”Earlier Tuesday, Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen said Israel maintains its opposition to selling weapons that could threaten its qualitative military edge in the Middle East.“It didn’t happen,” Cohen said in an interview with Kan. “There was no discussion of authorizing such an article in the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet.Cohen said “Israel’s policy is to maintain its military advantage in the region. That is also our demand of the US. It must respect the request. The US also asks us not to sell weapons we have to other countries and we respect it.”Asked if its possible there was a change he does not know about, just as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not inform Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi that the agreement with the UAE was on the way, Cohen said that Netanyahu only hid the timing from the Blue and White leaders.“If there’s a decision to break the balance, it must be discussed” in the Security Cabinet, Cohen said. The Defense Ministry declined to comment on the reports.In response to the report, former Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said that “Israel’s qualitative military advantage is at the heart of our security concept and is not a political matter. I am sure that the White House and Congress understand its importance to national security as well.”The report also came as the head of Israel’s Air Force Maj.-Gen. Amikam Norkin was out of the country, in Germany for a joint drill between the two countries.The UAE, which is among the world’s biggest defense spenders is currently in the process of building up its armed forces and the UAE Air Force has made no secret that it is interested in purchasing the fifth-generation fighter jet.But in November Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs R. Clarke Cooper was quoted by CNBC in November that there were no talks with the UAE to purchase the jet.“No, no,” he said. “The question (of) are there any considerations or conversations about the F35 — the short answer is no.”Israel was the second country after the United States to have received the joint strike fighter and is the only air force in the Middle East to fly the state-of-the-art aircraft.The IAF was the first to use the F-35 in a combat arena in 2018, just months after it declared operational capability and, according to foreign reports, continues to use the jet for a range of missions.Built by Lockheed Martin, the F-35 is considered one of the world’s most advanced fighter jet and with close air-support capabilities and a massive array of sensors, pilots of the stealth jet have unparalleled access to information while in the air and have an extremely low radar signature allowing the jet to operate undetected deep inside enemy territory The partner countries in the F-35 program are Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Singapore, UK, and US. Turkey ordered F-35s but were kicked out of the program after purchasing Russian S-400 surface-to-air missiles, which Moscow nicknamed the “F-35 killer.” Source
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