Faced with losing QME, Israel wants Trump to condition sale of F-35s to Saudi on normalization

[Almost Heaven]

Israel does not object to Saudi Arabia's bid to buy F-35 jets from the United States, yet wishes that President Donald Trump condition the sale on the normalization of ties between Riyadh and Jerusalem, Axios reported on Saturday.

Should the deal go through, the reasoning goes, Israel would lose its all-important qualitative military edge (QME), a long-standing security doctrine guaranteeing the Jewish state's survival in a largely hostile region.

The report comes two days before Trump's White House meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with the two leaders expected to ink economic and defense deals.

Last week the New York Times reported that the Pentagon raised concerns over the potential deal, warning that China could acquire the aircraft's technology if the sale proceeds.

Report: Faced with losing QME, Israel wants Trump to condition sale of F-35s to Saudi on normalization - i24NEWS

Should the deal go through Israel would lose its all-important qualitative military edge (QME), a long-standing security doctrine guaranteeing the Jewish state's survival in a largely hostile region

www.i24news.tv

 

[Almost Heaven]

Saudi Arabia seeks regional dominance with F-35 deal, expert says​

Saudi Arabia understands that to lead the region, it must maintain ties with Israel,” Mann said. “It can’t align with Iran while ignoring Israel — it understands that if it wants to lead meaningful regional moves, it has to position itself in the middle. For Saudi Arabia, normalization is a strategic priority and highly significant. We need to look at Saudi Arabia in a broader context: it must secure a comparative advantage. It can’t afford to see an agreement with Qatar while being left out. It needs air superiority.

“Saudi Arabia is relatively stable compared to other countries. I don’t share the concern about a strategic threat to Israel. Of course, there are steps that still need to be completed, but overall, the situation looks fairly stable. The move to purchase fighter jets is also a domestic Saudi statement. For a long time, they feared a strong air force because they understood it could threaten the regime — it’s an internal power that controls the skies. For years, they avoided it. Now, this is a message that says, ‘We trust our people and our internal stability.’”

Trump signaled over the weekend that he is seriously considering approving the Saudi F-35 deal, telling reporters on Air Force One: “They wanna buy a lot of jets, I'm looking at that. They've asked me to look at it. They want to buy a lot of '35' - but they want to buy actually more than that, fighter jets. We make the best jets, we make the best missiles—you saw that when we took out the nuclear capability of Iran.

Meanwhile, Economy Minister Nir Barkat told ynet that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fully aware a Palestinian state will not emerge from current diplomatic efforts, despite renewed talk of a “path to statehood” as part of the revived Trump plan expected to be discussed at the UN Security Council.

“There’s no need to convince the prime minister that a Palestinian state won’t be established — he knows it,” Barkat said. “What matters now is bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords. That’s the next step.”

Barkat dismissed fears that U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia would compromise Israel’s military superiority, despite warnings from Israeli defense officials that such deals could undermine the air force’s qualitative edge. “The Americans and the prime minister are committed to maintaining the IDF’s superiority. I have no doubt it will be preserved,” he said.
He defended Netanyahu’s diplomatic strategy, calling it a “remarkable geopolitical maneuver” that has isolated Hamas with the tacit backing of Arab states. “We’re moving in the right direction,” Barkat said. “People are trying to scare the public — but we’re not selling them Israeli technology or secrets. Expanding the accords reduces the chance of war with Saudi Arabia.”
Barkat also reiterated his vision of dismantling the Palestinian Authority and replacing it with localized governance models. “The PA is beyond repair. I speak with the sheikhs of Hebron — they want out of the corrupt PA and to live in autonomy alongside Israel,” he said. “Most in Hebron want a deal with Israel. They know violence will only make them look like Gaza.”

Saudi Arabia seeks regional dominance with F-35 deal, expert says

Riyadh sees ties with Israel as key to leading the region, while Jerusalem rebuffs renewed US-backed Palestinian state push under Trump peace plan; as UN weighs Gaza stabilization force, officials insist on demilitarization and reject any path to Palestinian sovereignty

www.ynetnews.com

 

[Hol]

He defended Netanyahu’s diplomatic strategy, calling it a “remarkable geopolitical maneuver” that has isolated Hamas with the tacit backing of Arab states. “We’re moving in the right direction,” Barkat said. “People are trying to scare the public — but we’re not selling them Israeli technology or secrets. Expanding the accords reduces the chance of war with Saudi Arabia.”