Israel Approves Sale of US F-35 Fighters to Saudi Arabia on the Condition of Normalization with Tel Aviv

SadaNews Translation - Two senior Israeli officials stated to Axios that Israel does not oppose the sale of F-35 fighter jets from the United States to Saudi Arabia, but insists that the deal be contingent upon the Kingdom's agreement to fully normalize relations with Israel as translated by SadaNews.

Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman is expected to meet President Trump at the White House on Tuesday. The F-35 deal, the US-Saudi security agreement, and the potential normalization of relations with Israel will be major topics of the meeting.

President Trump informed the Saudi Crown Prince during a phone call last month that he expects, with the end of the war in Gaza, that Saudi Arabia will move toward normalizing relations with Israel, according to media reports on Thursday.

On Friday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, en route from Washington to Florida, that he would discuss with bin Salman the possibility of Saudi Arabia normalizing its relations with Israel. He said: "I hope Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords in the near future."

Trump confirmed he is considering a potential arms deal with Saudi Arabia that includes F-35 jets.

Israeli officials, according to SadaNews translation, stated that Israel does not oppose the US selling F-35 planes to Saudi Arabia, but they affirmed that this must be part of a full normalization of relations with Israel.

One Israeli official said: "We informed the Trump administration that the delivery of F-35 planes to Saudi Arabia should be conditioned on normalizing relations with Israel."

The official added that selling F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia without securing any diplomatic compensation would be "a mistake and would cause harm".

Another Israeli official stated: "Unlike the sale of F-35s to Turkey, which we strongly oppose, we are less concerned about the presence of this arms system in Saudi Arabia if it is part of regional security cooperation within the framework of the Abraham Accords, as is the case with the UAE."

It is noted that Israel is currently the only country in the region that possesses F-35 fighter jets. The delivery of F-35s to Saudi Arabia would change the regional balance of power and affect Israel's qualitative military superiority.
Maintaining Israel's qualitative edge is part of long-standing understandings between Israel and both Republican and Democratic administrations in recent decades. Congress even passed a law in 2008 committing the United States to maintaining the qualitative superiority of the Israel Defense Forces.

As part of the 2020 Abraham Accords, Israel agreed to supply F-35 jets to the UAE, contingent upon several US security guarantees. The deal had not been finalized due to the Biden administration's request to limit the use of these aircraft.

Israel is likely to seek similar security guarantees from the United States if the F-35 deal with Saudi Arabia moves forward. 
An Israeli official stated that the main concern is that Saudi Arabia is much closer to Israel than the UAE. The Israeli official added: "It is a matter of minutes flying from Saudi Arabia to Israel."

Israel is expected to request that no F-35s be transferred to Saudi bases west of the country.

Additionally, US officials have informed the Saudis that they hope to make progress on normalization during Trump's meeting with bin Salman at the White House next week, acknowledging that the differences between Saudi Arabia and Israel remain significant.

The main gap relates to Saudi Arabia's demand that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commit to a "reliable, irreversible, and time-bound process" for establishing a Palestinian state. Netanyahu has so far rejected this.

Two Israeli officials expressed hope that Trump would pressure bin Salman to soften his demands and that the meeting would open direct negotiations between the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel regarding a potential agreement that could be implemented in the coming months. 

An Israeli official added: "The Saudis need to change their approach during the visit. It is important that the meeting between Trump and bin Salman leads to a clear roadmap for normalization."