Pelosi Vows Israel Will Maintain ‘Qualitative Military Edge’

The statement came after Israel signed normalization deal with UAE

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi pledged on Tuesday that Congress will make sure Israel maintains its military edge in the Middle East. The statement came after the signing ceremony for the normalization agreements between Israel and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates and addressed the question of the possible US sale of F-35s to Abu Dhabi.

“As we learn more about the full details of both agreements, questions remain – specifically, regarding the commitment that the UAE has received from the Trump Administration to purchase American-made F-35 aircraft.  The US Congress, on a bipartisan basis, will be watching and monitoring to ensure that Israel can maintain its qualitative military edge in the region,” Pelosi said.

The statement also mentioned the possible freeze of Israel’s efforts to annex parts of the West Bank. Pelosi voiced her support for a two-state solution and discouraged unilateral action by either side.

The treaties signed on Tuesday did not mention details related to the F-35 sale or annexation. In an interview before the signing ceremony, President Trump said that he would have “no problem” with an F-35 sale to the UAE, and said he would be willing to sell countries in the Middle East the same weapons systems sold to Israel.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.