Netanyahu Urges Trump to Block Turkey F-35 Deal
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- Netanyahu complained to Trump on Friday about Erdoğan's anti-Israel rhetoric and asked the U.S. president to refrain from selling weapons systems that would help Turkey modernize its air force.
- Trump is traveling Monday to meet Erdoğan at the NATO leaders summit in Ankara, where a $700 million deal for new engines for Turkey's fighter jets and the possibility of Turkey re-entering the F-35 program are on the agenda.
- Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing Russia's S-400 air defense system; VP Vance said last week the Pentagon is conducting a review to determine how the U.S. could sell F-35s to Turkey despite the Russian-made missile defense system.
- Erdoğan last week called Zionism "a genocidal ideology" and suggested it posed a threat to Turkey's survival, while Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the Israeli government "a burden that humanity can no longer bear."
- Netanyahu's standing in Washington has slipped in recent months over the Iran war; a senior administration official told Axios "Bibi made a bunch of promises about the Iran war that didn't come to pass."
- Netanyahu made his case publicly on "Fox & Friends," arguing that giving Turkey F-35s "will upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and by America's posture."
Why it matters: Netanyahu is lobbying from a weakened position: his Washington standing has eroded over the Iran war, and Trump maintains close ties with Erdoğan and a financial incentive to close a $700 million engine deal and potentially restore Turkey to the F-35 program — meaning the Israeli leader's request may carry limited weight when Trump sits down with Erdoğan in Ankara.
