Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin (Bibi) NetanyahuMORE privately condoned the sale of advanced U.S. weapons to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), despite coming out against the deal publicly, sources told The New York Times. ADVERTISEMENTAfter the diplomatic agreement was announced, the Trump administration pushed an arms sale deal with the UAE that would include the purchase of F-35 stealth fighters and armed drones, according to the Times. Netanyahu has previously called reports of the sales “fake news” and insisted Israel would not support a deal under those circumstances. The deal still faces an uphill climb in Congress, due to laws against weapons sales that weaken Israel's advantage, according to the Times. Ron Dermer, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., said in a statement that it is "not true" that Netanyahu has signed off on the sale.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 04, 2020 03:33 UTC