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Abu Dhabi Requested Sale of F-35 Jets Before Pact With Israel, UAE Foreign Minister Says

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The UAE-Israel peace agreement was announced in principle a week ago. If concluded, the deal will make the UAE the third Arab country to conclude a full peace agreement with Israel after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

Abu Dhabi requested the sale of F-35 fighter jets before its pact with Israel, the UAE’s foreign minister said in a statement.

According to the minister, the UAE is looking forward to upgrading its fleet of fighters with F-35 jets.

The foreign minister continued by saying that the UAE calls on the Palestinian Authority to refrain from leaving the negotiating table after criticism of the agreement with Israel.

The UAE plans to set up an embassy in Tel Aviv following the historic pact with Israel, the minister added.

Tel Aviv City Hall is lit up with the flags of the United Arab Emirates and Israel as the countries announced they would be establishing full diplomatic ties, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. In a nationally broadcast statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the full and official peace with the UAE would lead to cooperation in many spheres between the countries and a wonderful future for citizens of both countries.  - Sputnik International
'There Will Be Peace': Trump Predicts Saudi Arabia, Iran Will Join UAE-Israel Deal
The statement comes after US President Donald Trump said during a press briefing that the UAE, which has agreed to a peace deal with Israel, would like to buy the Lockheed McDonnell-Douglas F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and that Washington is already reviewing the possibility of selling it to them. Trump also stated that Saudi Arabia would like to join the peace agreement between Israel and the UAE.

Trump added that if other countries in the Middle East eventually join the peace accord, then he would expect Iran to join as well.

In the meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has labelled reports that the United States would be selling the F-35 to the UAE as "fake news", noting that Israel's deal with the country did not include Tel Aviv's consent to any arms deals between Abu Dhabi and Washington.

The remarks come in light of the recently achieved agreement that will see Israel and the UAE fully normalise relations and establish diplomatic ties. The deal, brokered by the United States, also stipulates that Israel will suspend its plans to extend sovereignty over parts of the West Bank. The two countries plan to establish embassies and commence direct flights.

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