Pentagon vows to help Israel keep military superiority

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WASHINGTON, Sept 23, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – US Defense Secretary Mark Esper
pledged Tuesday to help maintain Israel’s military superiority in the Middle
East, amid its concerns over a possible US sale of F-35 fighters to the
United Arab Emirates.

“A cornerstone of our defense relationship is preserving Israel’s
qualitative military edge in the region,” Esper said as he welcomed Israeli
Defense Minister Benny Gantz to the Pentagon.

“The United States is committed to that, and the Department of Defense is
committed to that imperative. We will continue to support the longstanding US
policy to maintain Israel’s security,” said Esper.

The question of whether the United States will sell the advanced fighters
to the UAE cast a cloud over the White House ceremony last week for the
diplomatic normalization agreements between Israel and the UAE and Israel and
Bahrain.

President Donald Trump said at the time that he would have “no problem”
selling F-35 warplanes to the United Arab Emirates, despite objections from
the Jewish state.

Israel has long opposed the sale of F-35s to any US allies in the region
including Jordan and Egypt, both of whom already recognize Israel.

Such a sale would erode Israel’s military advantage over its neighbors.

Since the 1960s the US has approached the issue on the principle that
Israel should maintain a “qualitative military edge” (QME), and the concept
has been formalized in legislation from Congress.

But the UAE, which sits astride the strategic Strain of Hormuz across from
Iran, which is seen by Israel and the United States as a major threat, has
sought for several years the advanced fighters.

At the Pentagon, Gantz stressed the importance of the US-Israel
partnership in the “unstable” Middle East region, and said the relationship
goes beyond “QME”.

“As I always said, we have no other United States, nor do you have any
other Israel,” he said.

“We will continue those relations into the future. And we see those
relations as a privilege, but also as a necessity, a continued necessity,”
Gantz said.