‘Israel’ open to US F-35 sale to Saudi if it brings normalization: Axios
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- ‘Israel’ signaled it will not oppose the US sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, but only if the deal is conditioned on Saudi Arabia establishing full diplomatic relations with ‘Israel’.
- The stance is based on ‘Israel's’ concern over maintaining its qualitative military edge (QME) and comes ahead of key talks between US President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
‘Israel’ has signaled it does not oppose the United States selling advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, provided the deal is conditioned on the kingdom normalizing ties with ‘Israel’ and establishing full diplomatic relations.
This revelation comes from two ‘Israeli’ officials who spoke to Axios, but stressed that the sale should come to expand the Abraham Accords, which normalized ties between ‘Israel’ and several Arab nations during Trump's first term.
‘Israel's’ stance reflects concerns over maintaining its qualitative military edge (QME) in the region, a US policy codified in 2008 to ensure ‘Israel's’ technological superiority.
As the only Middle Eastern country currently operating F-35s, ‘Israel’ views an unconditional sale to Saudi Arabia as potentially destabilizing, given the jets' advanced capabilities and the short flight time from Saudi bases to ‘Israeli’ territory.
One official noted, "It takes minutes for an F-35 to fly from Saudi Arabia to Israel," underscoring the proximity risks.
The push comes ahead of a pivotal White House meeting between President-elect Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) scheduled for Tuesday.
Discussions are expected to cover the F-35 deal, a potential US-Saudi security pact, and steps toward Saudi-‘Israeli’ normalization.
Trump has publicly expressed optimism, stating in recent remarks that he anticipates Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords "fairly shortly" after the war on Gaza ends, and he is open to including F-35s in a weapons package.
‘Israeli’ officials have directly communicated to the Trump team that supplying F-35s without diplomatic gains would be "a mistake and counterproductive."
Similar Deal
They draw parallels to the 2020 UAE deal, where ‘Israel’ acquiesced to F-35 sales in exchange for normalization and US security guarantees, such as restrictions on jet deployments.
However, the UAE agreement stalled due to subsequent US export limits.
A key obstacle remains Saudi Arabia's insistence on ‘Israeli’ commitments to a "credible, irreversible, and time-bound path" toward Palestinian statehood, a demand Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected.
Despite this, US officials are hopeful the Trump-MBS talks could yield a roadmap for normalization, potentially leading to trilateral negotiations involving ‘Israel’ in the coming months.
