Ben-Gvir, Smotrich Press Netanyahu as Trump Ties F-35 Deal to Saudi–Israel Normalization By The Media Line Staff The renewed push for Saudi-Israel normalization has already triggered intense political fallout among Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet. According to the Times of Israel, several right-wing ministers confronted Netanyahu, accusing him of “silence and diplomatic disgrace” […]
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The Media Line: Ben-Gvir, Smotrich Press Netanyahu as Trump Ties F-35 Deal to Saudi–Israel Normalization
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Ben-Gvir, Smotrich Press Netanyahu as Trump Ties F-35 Deal to Saudi–Israel Normalization
By The Media Line Staff
The renewed push for Saudi-Israel normalization has already triggered intense political fallout among Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet.
According to the Times of Israel, several right-wing ministers confronted Netanyahu, accusing him of “silence and diplomatic disgrace” regarding Riyadh’s Palestinian state requirement as part of a normalization agreement.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged the Prime Minister to “immediately formulate an appropriate and decisive response that will make it clear to the entire world [that] a Palestinian state will never be established on the territory of our homeland.”
Ahead of Monday’s UN National Security Council vote on President Trump’s 20-point proposal for a ceasefire and postwar Gaza, in which a provision for a Palestinian state is mentioned, Defense Minister Israel Katz declared, “Israel’s policy is clear: No Palestinian state will be established
President Donald Trump is tying a potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to progress on a normalization agreement with Israel, Axios reported.
He told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last month that following the Gaza ceasefire, he expects movement toward formal ties with Israel. President Trump later told reporters aboard Air Force One that the F-35 package and the normalization track would be central topics when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman arrives at the White House. “I hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords fairly shortly,” he said, adding that he is weighing a weapons deal that includes the advanced jets.
Israeli officials quoted by Axios stressed that any transfer of F-35s to Riyadh must be conditioned on the Saudis fully normalizing relations with Israel. One official warned that providing the jets without diplomatic concessions would be “a mistake and counterproductive.” Another said Jerusalem is far less concerned about Saudi Arabia receiving the aircraft if it becomes part of a regional security framework similar to the arrangements created with the UAE.
The officials said Israel would still require security guarantees, particularly because Saudi bases are located a very short flight from Israeli airspace. One noted, “It takes minutes for an F-35 to fly from Saudi Arabia to Israel,” and said Israel would seek restrictions on where the jets could be deployed.
But Saudi Arabia continues to insist that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commit to “a credible, irreversible and time-bound path” toward a Palestinian state—an outcome Netanyahu has refused to endorse. Israeli officials expressed hope that President Trump will press Riyadh to ease those demands so trilateral negotiations can begin.