The office of the Israeli prime minister refuted on Friday an article by The New York Times, according to which Benjamin Netanyahu had privately given a green light to the US administration's plan to provide the United Arab Emirates with weapons, despite publicly saying that he opposed the arms deal
TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th September, 2020) The office of the Israeli prime minister refuted on Friday an article by The New York Times, according to which Benjamin Netanyahu had privately given a green light to the US administration's plan to provide the United Arab Emirates with weapons, despite publicly saying that he opposed the arms deal.
The New York Times newspaper reported on late Thursday, citing sources, that Netanyahu gave up his complaints against the possible arms deal after the talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo conducted in Jerusalem last week. In August, the office of Netanyahu issued a statement saying that the Israeli-UAE peace deal did not include Tel Aviv's consent to US arms deliveries to the UAE. The prime minister was said to oppose deliveries of F-35 fighters and other modern weapons to Arab nations, including those that signed peace deals with Israel.
"Repeating a false allegation against Prime Minister Netanyahu does not make it true ... At no point in the talks with the United States leading to the historic breakthrough with the United Arab Emirates on August 13 did the prime minister give Israel's consent to the sale of advanced weapons to the Emirates," the prime minister's office said.
According to the New York Times, the United States reportedly wants to sell an electronic warfare plane the EA-18G Growler to the UAE.
Last month, Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a landmark agreement, brokered by the United States, to normalize ties, which among other things entails Israel freezing its annexation plans in the West Bank. The two countries are planning to sign a variety of agreements for cooperation in investments, tourism, security and other areas in the near future.
