President Trump has approved the sale of advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in an UNPRECEDENTED move that ends Israel's exclusive control over the region's most sophisticated military technology, raising CRITICAL questions about America's commitment to Israel's Qualitative Military Edge and whether strategic dealmaking has supplanted Middle East peace as the administration's top priority.
The decision, announced during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's White House visit, represents a DRAMATIC policy shift. Saudi Arabia becomes the first Arab nation approved for F-35 acquisition, with reports indicating Riyadh seeks to purchase 48 of the stealth fighters. Trump told reporters the Saudi jets would be "pretty similar" to Israel's F-35I variant, dismissing Israeli preferences for downgraded versions by quipping that both nations "are at a level where they should get top of the line."
"I know they'd like you to get planes of reduced caliber. I don't think that makes you too happy. As far as I'm concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line."
The F-35 sale anchors a broader Strategic Defense Agreement between Washington and Riyadh that includes Saudi Arabia's designation as a major non-NATO ally, nearly 300 American tanks, civil nuclear cooperation, and a Saudi pledge to increase investments in the United States from $600 billion to $1 trillion. However, economists question whether Saudi Arabia—whose entire 2023 GDP was $1.07 trillion—can realistically deliver on such massive commitments, raising concerns that Trump accepted inflated promises in exchange for tangible military concessions.
What's SHOCKING is what Trump didn't require: Saudi normalization with Israel. Despite Israeli officials explicitly requesting that F-35 sales be conditioned on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, Trump proceeded without this linkage. Crown Prince Mohammed reiterated Saudi Arabia's longstanding position that normalization requires "a clear path of a two-state solution" for Palestinians—effectively maintaining the status quo while gaining America's most advanced military technology.
Israel's Qualitative Military Edge, codified into U.S. law in 2008, requires America to ensure Israel maintains superior military capabilities over regional adversaries. The principle dates to 1968 under President Johnson and was formalized under President Reagan. By providing Saudi Arabia with F-35s virtually identical to Israel's fleet—and doing so WITHOUT requiring normalization—Trump has fundamentally altered this decades-old commitment, potentially setting precedent for similar sales to other Gulf states.
The strategic implications are PROFOUND. Israel's F-35 fleet has been central to its regional military dominance, enabling long-range strike capabilities and intelligence gathering that potential adversaries cannot match. Saudi Arabia acquiring comparable technology shifts the military balance, particularly given Riyadh's geographic proximity to Israel compared to the UAE, which received F-35 approval in 2020 as part of Abraham Accords normalization but never completed the purchase under the Biden administration.
Conservative defense analysts express mixed reactions. Some argue strengthening Saudi military capabilities serves American interests by countering Iranian aggression and building regional security architecture. Bradley Bowman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies emphasizes the need for assurances that F-35 technology won't reach China, given Saudi Arabia's growing military cooperation with Beijing—including joint naval exercises. Others worry Trump prioritized Saudi partnership over Israeli security and abandoned leverage that could have forced normalization.
The timing raises eyebrows. Trump brokered a Gaza ceasefire and claimed success in "ending the war," yet Saudi Arabia used this diplomatic achievement not as impetus for normalization but as baseline for demanding additional Palestinian concessions. Former Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro observed that Trump "seems to have elevated the partnerships with Saudi Arabia above pretty much all other U.S. partnerships, including Israel," suggesting a fundamental reordering of Middle East priorities.
Israeli officials have remained largely quiet publicly, though the Israeli Air Force reportedly objects to the sale, warning it could damage Israel's air superiority. Israeli Policy Forum chief Michael Koplow noted that agreements announced during MBS's visit "put Israel in a more difficult security position," while acknowledging political dynamics where "Trump went out of his way to almost poke at the Israelis" by openly discussing their preference for downgraded Saudi jets.
The Abraham Accords, Trump's signature Middle East achievement from his first term, now appear relegated to aspirational status rather than immediate priority. With Saudi Arabia receiving major military and economic benefits WITHOUT normalizing relations with Israel, the incentive structure has fundamentally shifted. As one expert noted, Israelis "are going to be right to worry that the Saudis may feel like they've gotten everything they want and don't have any need left for normalization." Whether Trump's bet on Saudi partnership over Israeli leverage proves strategically sound or represents a historic miscalculation will become clear in coming years—but for now, the F-35 deal signals that in Trump's Middle East, economic interests and Saudi relationships take precedence over the Abraham Accords vision of comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace.