Report: Netanyahu OK’d Weapons Sale to UAE Without Consulting Military

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu initially framed the Abraham Accord, the agreement to normalize relations between the United Arab Emirates and the Jewish state, as “peace in exchange for peace.” Later, it was discovered that Netanyahu was forced to give up his plans to annex territories in the West Bank to Israel, and the moniker evolved into “peace in exchange for annexation.” On Tuesday, Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed yet more Israeli concessions made in the pact, chief among them Netanyahu’s consent to the United States selling advanced military equipment to the UAE, a transaction that has for decades been vetoed by Israeli governments and the US Congress. The report states that Israel will rescind its objection to the US selling F-35 fighter jets and other state-of-the-art equipment, a precedent that may increase the appetite of other countries in the region. Netanyahu denied agreeing to such a clause, yet American and Emirati officials verified the story. Israel’s foreign and defense ministers, along with the entire Israeli military, were not consulted or made aware of the deal or any of its provisions prior to Thursday’s announcement of the accord.