Israeli Prime Minister Opposes U.S. Sale of F-35 Fighter Jets to Turkey

On July 7, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington (reporters Huang Qiang and Xu Jianmei) that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated in an interview with U.S. media that he opposes the plan for the U.S. to sell F-35 stealth fighters to Turkey. He also attempted to downplay the differences between himself and U.S. President Trump.

Netanyahu told CNN that the sale of this aircraft "will not make Turkey a friendly country to the U.S." He said he had urged Trump not to sell F-35 fighters to Turkey, claiming that such a move would "disrupt the balance of power in the Middle East."

Earlier that day, Trump, who was attending a NATO summit in Turkey, stated at a joint press conference with Turkish President Erdogan that U.S.-Turkey relations are currently good, and the U.S. is working to lift sanctions on Turkey and will make a decision regarding Turkey's return to the F-35 fighter jet program.

In the interview, Netanyahu also tried to downplay the differences between him and Trump. Netanyahu said, "Trump is the President of the United States; he does things that are beneficial to the U.S., and I am the Prime Minister of Israel; I do things that are crucial for Israel, and in most cases, these two are aligned."

When asked about the U.S. ceasefire agreement with Iran, Netanyahu stated, "It is still too early to assert how things will develop," adding that Trump "believes he can stop Iran's nuclear program and believes he can achieve this through negotiations. I have my doubts about this, but I think he should be given a chance, after all, he is working hard for it."

According to U.S. media reports, Trump was recently very unhappy with Israel's attack on Lebanon amid the U.S.-Iran negotiations and reportedly used profanity during a phone call with Netanyahu, calling him "crazy."

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement on the evening of the 4th, stating that Netanyahu had a phone call with Trump the day before, and both sides agreed to meet in the U.S. soon.