JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli leaders on Thursday downplayed a possible review by the Biden government on US arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, which prepared the Gulf power’s rapprochement with Israel.
Washington said on Wednesday it had temporarily suspended some pending arms sales to U.S. allies. The Trump administration, after brokering formal ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in September, approved a first sale of F-35 warplanes and other weapons to Abu Dhabi.
Such assessments are typical after the transfer of US presidential power. The UAE said they anticipated the change and would work closely with the Biden government.
Israel is the only country in the region to have the F-35. After initially expressing fears about his sale to the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz relented amid the Trump administration’s assurances that Israeli military superiority would be preserved.
Asked by reporters whether the review could delay Israel’s efforts to build relations with the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries, Netanyahu said: “I don’t think so. I think we have passed the point of no return.”
“Everyone understands that there are huge advantages here. It is peace in exchange for peace … I think it will move on.”
Gantz described the review as “routine”.
Interviewed by Ynet TV, Gantz said he would speak to his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, on Thursday, but gave no further details.
(Written by Dan Williams, Edition by William Maclean)
Originally published