Trump: US Considering F-35 Sales to UAE, Despite Israeli Objections

Says F-35 Is Best Jet in the World

Since the Israel-UAE normalization, the hope among UAE officials is that they can buy more advanced US arms with less resistance. Israel, however, has continued to object to the UAE buying the F-35, despite reports that was explicitly part of the deal.

President Trump says that despite the objections, the US is still reviewing the sales of F-35 to the UAE. He emphasized that it’s nice the UAE can afford the expensive planes, saying it’s the best jet in the world.

Approving the F-35 sale would take years and require Congressional approval. Congress has been reticent on sales to the UAE lately, but if the Israelis can be persuaded to allow it, this could make it easier to get it through Congress.

Israel objects because they insist on regional military superiority, but it’s going to be tough for them to justify to the US why they can’t sell to someone they’ve normalized relations with. They likely won’t have a good answer.

On top of it, Trump has made selling costly arms a top priority, and the F-35s are particularly expensive, making them a particular priority.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.