Israel wants normalisation deal as part of US-Saudi F-35 sale

Israel is urging US President Donald Trump to condition Saudi Arabia’s purchase of F-35 fighter jets on normalising ties with Tel Aviv, Axios reported, citing two Israeli officials.

President Trump, who is set to host Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington next week, said on Friday that he will discuss Israel normalisation with the Saudi leader.

“We told the Trump administration that the supply of F-35s to Saudi Arabia needs to be subject to Saudi normalization with Israel,” one Israeli official told Axios, adding that it would be a “mistake” not to squeeze diplomatic concessions out of the de facto Saudi ruler.

“Unlike the supply of F-35s to Turkey that we strongly oppose, we are less concerned about such a weapons system in Saudi Arabia if it’s part of a regional security cooperation as part of the Abraham Accords, like we have with the United Arab Emirates,” another Israeli official was quoted as saying.

Israel is currently the only country in the Middle East to have the US-made F-35 jet, in line with Washington’s long-standing policy of maintain Israel’s qualitative military edge over its Arab neighbours. 

Before Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, reports indicated that US efforts to broker a normalisation deal between Saudi and Israel were on track. However, amid growing global outrage over Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, Riyadh has ruled out a deal without a clear path to Palestinian statehood.

The Israeli officials who spoke to Axios appeared hopeful that Trump could change this stance, however, a report published by Haaretz on Sunday indicated that Riyadh will not sign a deal with Israel’s current government.

The report quoted Palestinian officials who said that Riyadh had signalled to Ramallah in recent days that no deal will be signed with the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Saudi Arabia with not grant such a gift and legitimacy to the government even at the price of one deal or another that includes F-35 planes,” one Palestinian official was quoted as saying.