Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that he is considering giving top-of-the-line F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly opposes this move by the US. Despite this, Trump appears to be moving ahead with the deal. In fact, Trump even mentioned the possibility of selling the jets to Turkey during his meeting with Netanyahu on Monday.
According to Arab News, Donald Trump was meeting with Netanyahu on Monday when he was asked about the F-35 jet deal with Turkey. In response, Trump said that they are considering it very seriously. Regarding Israel's concerns about the US deal, Trump dismissed them by saying that nothing of the sort would happen.
Trump calls Erdogan a friend
On the question of tensions between Israel and Turkey, Donald Trump called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a good friend. Regarding the tensions between the two countries, he said that there would be no problem. We think nothing will happen. The prospect of giving modern jets to Turkey is noteworthy because US policy has been to give Israel a military advantage over its regional adversaries.
The US removed Turkey from the development program of the top-of-the-line stealth plane F-35 in 2019. NATO member Turkey had decided to buy a missile defense system from Russia. The US took this decision in response, but in recent months, hopes of Turkey receiving these jets have increased once again. This would help Erdogan increase his military power.
Israel's concerns
Israel is concerned because it has faced competition from Türkiye in the region. Israeli policymakers argue that the F-35 jets would give Turkey an advantage in any potential conflict. Israel and Turkey have been at odds, particularly over Syria, a war-torn country that borders both nations. Both Turkey and Israel seek to expand their influence in the region. Therefore, Trump's stance is pleasing to Turkey but a source of concern for Israel.
