F-35: Will Israel Accept UAE In JSF Program?
According to the New York Times, Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu will not oppose the sale of US weapons (including F-35s) to the UAE
A "no" not quite definitive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly joined the Trump administration's plan to sell advanced weapons to the UAE. Despite publicly declaring Israel's opposition to the US-UAE arms deal.
This was revealed by the New York Times citing officials linked to the dossier, who claim that Netanyahu lied about his opposition to the agreement. The latter includes fifth-generation F-35 fighters as well as radar-blocking Growler jets that could give the UAE an edge.
In the past two weeks, the White House has accelerated on the sale of cutting-edge weapons to the Emirates, following the historic peace agreement struck in mid-August between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
But Netanyahu immediately opposed such a sale to any other country in the Middle East, making his position known to the United States on several occasions. According to the NYT , it would not be quite so contrary.
WHAT THE NEW YORK TIMES REVEALED
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly removed any opposition to the sale of American F-35 fighter jets to the UAE, despite repeated assurances that he is against the deal. This is what the New York Times report published yesterday shows.
THE MILITARY AGREEMENT BETWEEN USA AND UAE
The report, which cites unnamed sources involved in the talks, says that, along with the F-35 fighters and Reaper drones, the deal also includes the Growler EA-18G jets. The latter could erode the effectiveness of Israel's air defense capabilities giving the UAE a considerable military advantage.
The inclusion of the Growler aircraft in the deal, never reported before, could give a hand to Israel's concerns.
However, the focus of the agreement remains the F-35 fighters.
As Giacomo Cavenna explained on AresDifesa , "Tel Aviv is the only country in the whole Middle East to have a Fifth Generation aircraft (the F-35 in fact) and wants to keep this advantage for a long time to come".
The Gulf State, one of Washington's closest Middle East allies, has long expressed interest in acquiring the Lockheed Martin fighter jet.
THE PEACE AGREEMENT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Following the normalization of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the arms agreement between the UAE and the United States has returned to the fore.
A few days later, UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash said in an interview with the Atlantic Council that normalizing relations with Israel should remove "any obstacles" for the United States to sell the F-35 to Eau.
THE POSITION OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Washington is also of this idea, as demonstrated by the statements of the White House special adviser Jared Kushner.
"The UAE has wanted F-35s for a long time," Kushner told CNN in late August. "The reality is that this new peace agreement should increase the likelihood of them getting them."
On a celebratory trip from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi with US and Israeli delegations this week, Kushner defended fighter sales. He also added that Washington's relationship with the United Arab Emirates was as strong as that with Israel.
NETANYAHU'S OPPOSITION
Of a completely different opinion is the prime minister of Israel. Over the past few weeks Netanyahu has insisted that he still opposes the sale and has repeatedly informed Washington of his opposition.
Netanyahu said on Monday that the sale of F-35 aircraft was not part of the deal with the UAE.
“The Americans recognized it. Our position hasn't changed, ”Netanyahu said.
He said White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien made it clear to him on a visit to Israel this week that the United States is committed to preserving Israel's military advantage in the unstable region.
THE MILITARY ADVANTAGE OF ISRAEL GUARANTEED BY WASHINGTON
Israel, which has the F-35 and used it in combat, has opposed any other Middle Eastern power getting the plane, citing US laws that are supposed to maintain a military advantage in the region.
Washington ensures that Israel receives more advanced American weapons than Arab states, giving it what is labeled a "qualitative military advantage" over its neighbors.
THE JSF PROGRAM
The United States sold the F-35 to allies, including Turkey, South Korea, Japan and Israel. Sales in the Gulf require a more thorough review due to US policy for Israel to maintain a military advantage in the Middle East.
While Israel cannot actually stop a sale, full opposition could seriously hinder a forward deal. According to The Times of Israel, the United States Congress is unlikely to go against Israel's position publicly.
Any sale would also require the approval of the US Congress.
WHAT THE OFFICIALS REPORTED TO THE NYT
According to the NYT report, after Netanyahu's public statements against the sale, US officials made it clear to the UAE that the sale remains on the table and that Netanyahu's comments were intended to appease a public outcry over the deal.
A public admission of agreement by Netanyahu would indeed have sparked protests in Israel, as did the disclosure of the proposed arms sale.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/f-35-israele-accettera-gli-emirati-arabi-uniti-nel-programma-jsf/ on Fri, 04 Sep 2020 14:00:32 +0000.