Israel says it will not oppose selling "certain weapons systems" to the United Arab Emirates following an agreement with Washington to increase its capabilities to maintain its military presence in the Middle East.
JERUSALEM
- Israel said Friday it would not oppose the sale of "some weapons
systems" to the United Arab Emirates following an agreement with
Washington to increase its capabilities to maintain its military presence in
the Middle East.
A
statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Secretary of Defense Benny
Gantz did not specify which weapon systems they were targeting but appeared
to refer to the possible sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets. This is expected to
be achieved’ after the UAE reaches an agreement to normalize relations with
Israel. .
Gantz's
office denied in detail the statement, which was issued’ in Israel late Friday,
when the country is closed to Jewish dawn. The Pentagon did not immediately
return calls seeking comment.
The
statement said Gantz reached a "compromise" with the Pentagon during
a visit to Washington this week that would allow the purchase of "modern
weapons systems that would significantly increase Israel's military
capabilities in the region." It will maintain security and its military
advantage. Qualified military superiority in the coming decades.
It
said Gantz was "informed by the US administration of its plans to inform
Congress of its intention to provide the UAE with a weapons system."
"Both
the prime minister and the defense minister agree that since the United States
is increasing Israel's military capabilities and maintaining Israel's
qualitative military superiority, Israel is selling these systems to the United
Arab Emirates," he said. Will not oppose it. "
The
United Arab Emirates agreed earlier this year to normalize relations with
Israel, exposing long-standing secret ties between the United States and Israel
in a deal that marks a historic development in Middle East diplomacy. Brought
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which signed a similar customary
agreement, became the third and fourth Arab nations to establish formal
diplomatic relations with Israel.
Sudan
agreed early Friday to normalize relations with Israel. Egypt and Jordan made
peace with Israel decades ago.
The
Israelis welcomed the agreement with the United Arab Emirates, which paved the
way for other conventional agreements, but the wording that the intention to
sell F-35s to the UAE proved controversial.
Netanyahu
has repeatedly denied that there is a link between the arms deal and the start
of relations with the UAE. These raised suspicions in Israel, especially over
allegations that it had in the past agreed to persuade the Israeli defense
establishment to sell state-of-the-art submarines to Germany in Egypt.
Critics
have accused Netanyahu of lying about a key element that he is thought’ to have
struck for the UAE. Gantz, a political rival who formed a coalition government
with Netanyahu last spring, said he was kept’ in the dark about the UAE deal
until the last minute.
Netanyahu
said in a statement late Friday that the arms sales debate had only begun after
the end of the agreement and that he had no objection to it because the United
States had agreed to upgrade Israel's capabilities.
READ MORE
0 Comments