Inside Netanyahu’s pressure campaign to block Turkey, Saudi Arabia from acquiring F-35s
On Dec. 1, Netanyahu met in his Jerusalem office with Frank St. John, chief operating officer of Lockheed Martin, lead contractor for the F-35's production.
TEL AVIV — If the resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue were anyone but Donald Trump, Israel would have been moving heaven and earth, to the point of risking its alliance with the United States, to thwart the planned sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia and any potential sale to Turkey. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has no desire to risk the president's wrath.
Trump's verbal outbursts seem to frighten Netanyahu more than the potential sale of advanced weaponry to Turkey, whose leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has in recent years issued explicit threats against Israel.
"I doubt Trump understands his hold on Netanyahu," a veteran Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Netanyahu has made a strategic decision to avoid any confrontation with Trump."
A secret meeting
