US and UAE said to be eyeing December goal to agree on F- 35 deal
Sale must satisfy agreement stating that any US weapons sold to the region must not impair Israel’s ‘ qualitative military edge’
The United States and the United Arab Emirates hope to have an initial agreement on the sale of F- 35 stealth fighter jets to the Gulf state in place by December, as the Trump administration studies how to structure a deal without running afoul of Israel.
Sources close to the negotiations said the goal is to have a letter of agreement in place in time for UAE National Day, celebrated on December 2.
Any deal must satisfy decades of agreement with Israel that states any US weapons sold to the region must not impair Israel’s “qualitative military edge” or QME, guaranteeing US weapons provided to Israel are “superior in capability” to those sold to its neighbors.
A US official told The Jerusalem Post that Israel’s “QME is a law and it will be abided by in all circumstances.”
With that in mind, Washington is studying ways to make the Lockheed Martin
Corp. F- 35 more visible to Israeli radar systems, two sources said. Reuters could not determine if this would be done by changing the jet or providing Israel with better radar, among other possibilities.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz was due to meet his US counterpart, Mark Esper, in Washington yesterday.
The UAE embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House also declined to comment.
A Pentagon spokeswoman told Reuters, “as a matter of policy, the United States does not confirm or comment on proposed defense sales or transfers until they are formally notified to Congress.”
Once a letter of agreement is signed, a fine may be levied against any party that terminates the deal. Several political and regulatory hurdles must be cleared before the sale may be completed and Capitol Hill aides cautioned a deal may not be possible this year.
Ellen Lord, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, told
Why is Gantz in DC if the whole country is in lockdown?