President Trump said on Monday that he plans to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, comments that came a day before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will meet with him at the White House.
“I am planning on doing that,” Trump told reporters when asked if he would allow Riyadh to purchase the US jets. “They want to buy them. They’ve been a great ally.”
Currently, Israel is the only Middle Eastern country that’s armed with F-35s, and US officials have been hesitant to sell the jets to Arab countries to uphold Israel’s so-called “qualitative military edge” in the region. Israel has previously agreed that the US could sell F-35s to the UAE as part of its 2020 normalization deal, but the sale has been put on hold, and it’s unclear if it will ever go through.
Israeli officials have told Axios that they want the US to condition the F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia on Riyadh agreeing to normalize with Israel, but that’s unlikely to happen, as Saudi officials have maintained they won’t establish diplomatic relations with Israel until there’s a guaranteed path toward a Palestinian state.
An Israeli official told Axios that it would be “a mistake and counterproductive” for the US to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia without getting a diplomatic concession. The report also said that if the US arms Riyadh with F-35s, Israel will likely ask the US for security guarantees.
While the US provides Israel with billions in military aid each year, has supported its wars across the Middle East, and defended it from Iranian missile and drone attacks, the US and Israel do not have a formal military alliance that includes a defense guarantee. Israeli officials could push the issue as they negotiate a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on US military aid, as the current MOU, under which the US provides Israel with $3.8 billion each year, is due to expire in 2028.
Saudi Arabia has long sought a formal defense guarantee from the US, and MbS is expected to raise the issue during his meeting with Trump. The president recently gave Qatar a security guarantee by signing an executive order, which came after Israel bombed Doha.
