U.S. agreement with Israel opens the door to F-35 sales to UAE

By Jacqueline Feldscher and Lara Seligman
·2 min read

Israel has agreed to allow the U.S. to sell "certain weapons" to the United Arab Emirates, opening the door to the sale of F-35 fighter jets to the Middle Eastern country.

The agreement, which was finalized Thursday during a meeting between Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Defense Secretary Mark Esper at the Pentagon, says Israel removed its objection to the transfer of weapons to the UAE after securing promises that Tel Aviv would be able to upgrade its own capabilities and maintain its military edge in the region, according to a statement from top Israeli officials.

Context: After Israel and the UAE signed an accord last month to establish diplomatic relations, many have speculated whether Abu Dhabi would be allowed to buy the fifth-generation fighter jet, which Israel also flies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially opposed the move.

In response, some lawmakers introduced bills that would slow down the potential sale by placing conditions and requiring the government to maintain Israel’s military advantage in the Middle East.

The news: Gantz and Esper signed an agreement Thursday that would secure Israel's "qualitative military edge" in the region and would also allow Israel to buy more U.S.-made advanced weapons systems to upgrade its military capability, according to a statement from Netanyahu and Gantz.

"The prime minister and defense minister both agree that since the U.S. is upgrading Israel's military capability and is maintaining Israel's qualitative military edge, Israel will not oppose the sale of these systems to the UAE," according to the statement.

The statement did not specifically mention the F-35, but "the assumption is that we are not going to object to the F-35 sale because that's the big sale that has been talked about recently," said an Israeli official who asked not to be named to discuss sensitive negotiations.

When asked about the potential sale of F-35s to the UAE, President Donald Trump on Friday said "that process is moving along."

A State Department official would not comment on the potential for sale of the jets, but said Israel's statement "obviously does open up political space on this issue."

What’s next: The UAE will need to submit a formal request for the arms sale, including how many jets it wants to buy. The State Department will then notify Congress about the proposed sale, which will need to be approved by lawmakers.