By Janet Ekstract, ISTANBUL- Türkiye should not get any F-35 fighter jets, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, because it opposes Israel’s actions in Gaza. Speaking on a morning radio show “Sid & Friends in the Morning” on 77 WABC in New York, Netanyahu said he discussed the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump – making his opposition clear. As Netanyahu said: “I don’t think they deserve it. They shouldn’t get anything under any circumstances,” adding: “I don’t think any weapons should be sold to Erdogan. He makes his own weapons.” At the NATO Leader’s Summit in Ankara, Trump publicly stated he was strongly leaning toward the sale of the F-35 fighter jets to Turkiye. Reports out of Washington indicate that Congress is opposed to the sale and that the decision to sell to Turkiye rests with Congress. Meanwhile, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, Turkiye and Canada have all canceled their F-35 orders with the U.S. citing U.S. tariffs and prohibitive costs. Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress cleared the proposed sale of over $700 million worth of GE F110 engines for Turkiye’s KAAN fighter jet after lawmakers let the review period expire without blocking the deal.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is scheduled to be in Washington this weekend to attend memorial events for the late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham who passed away on July 11. According to Netanyahu’s office, he is trying to finalize a meeting with Trump to discuss the F-35 jet issue. Currently, diplomatic teams are actively coordinating a sit-down between the two. Topics he is expected to discuss, include Iran, Syria, Lebanon and the situation in Gaza. Relations between Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have been tense ever since Erdogan and other world leaders, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) found that Netanyahu’s government committed genocide against the Palestinian people.
