WASHINGTON (NYTIMES) - The Trump administration has accelerated a push to sell the F-35 stealth fighter and advanced armed drones to the United Arab Emirates, at a time when the Gulf nation is working with the Trump administration on a historic plan to formalise diplomatic ties with Israel, according to American officials familiar with the discussions.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration has accelerated a push to sell the F-35 stealth fighter and advanced armed drones to the United Arab Emirates, at a time when the Gulf nation is working with the Trump administration on a historic plan to formalise diplomatic ties with Israel, according to American officials familiar with the discussions.
Such a move could dramatically alter the military balance in the Middle East and is likely to face strong objections from some parts of the government in Israel, which has the jet and has been wary of the United States selling the aircraft to other nations in the region.Without the support of the Israeli government, it is unlikely Congress would support the sale.
Even if the Trump White House were to announce its intent, selling the F-35s would take six to eight years and could be undone by a future administration. Kushner has hoped to get the Gulf Arab leaders, including the Emirati crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed, to push the Palestinians to support his proposals.
But, she said, with Israel and the Emirates agreeing to full diplomatic relations, the Emiratis now expect Israel to relinquish some of its traditional technological edge. Friedman insisted that any decision on weapons sales would be made keeping in mind that the United States is committed to Israel having military supremacy in the region.
"Based on my assessment, there's legitimate concern that the sale of F-35s to UAE could compromise Israel's qualitative military edge," he said, adding that the jet can slip through advanced air defence systems.Concerned lawmakers could try to freeze the sale or kill it. In Yemen, the Emirati military, which is far better trained than that of Saudi Arabia, has withdrawn most of its forces.White House officials aim to shepherd a peace agreement between Israel and other Arab nations that is similar to the one reached last week.
The Emiratis are trying to buy models of the Predator, made by General Atomics. Lawmakers have put a hold on one package. Democratic lawmakers and some arms control experts said the move was reckless and could lead to proliferation of the lethal drone technology.
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