An American pro-Israel organization has come out strongly against the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. According to Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI), it is time for Congress to act to prevent future sales of advanced weapon systems to Middle Eastern authoritarian regimes.
“Putting F-35s in the hands of Arab dictators is extremely risky. America’s most sophisticated fighter jets should not be sold to authoritarian rulers. Undemocratic regimes are inherently unstable, and that is especially true in the Middle East. What will happen if the dictators of nations such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain-countries that regularly seek American-made weapons-are replaced by forces hostile to America and Israel? Will the new rulers return those F-35s to the United States? Somehow, I doubt it,” stated Moshe Phillips, Chairman of Americans for a Safe Israel.
AFSI recalls how on June 16, an Israeli Air Force drone destroyed two American-made F-14 fighter jets at an Iranian airbase. According to the organization, the lesson is clear: the American people can never be sure that jet fighters sold to dictators will never be used against the US or its allies.
“It must be remembered that when America sold the jets to Iran, it seemed like a risk-free decision. The US did not sell these fighter jets to the current Islamic Republic of Iran, but to the Imperial State of Iran, which existed before the Islamic extremists took power in Tehran in the 1979 revolution. Now is the time for action on Capitol Hill against the sale of advanced U.S. weapon systems to dictator-led regimes in the Gulf,” stated AFSI’s Moshe Phillips.