US President Donald Trump has warned Benjamin Netanyahu to steer clear of his deal and relationship with Turkey as US plans to sell F-35 fighter jets to the Israel’s top regional rival.
This comes a day before the two men are due to meet in the Oval Office.
Aboard Air Force One, the President fielded questions on Israel’s opposition to selling advanced fighter jets to Turkey, its longtime rival.
‘Turkey has been a great ally, for me,’ Trump added. ‘Nobody tells me what we should be selling or not. Turkey has been a tremendous ally.’
Trump also claimed Israel ‘wouldn’t survive’ without support from the US: ‘Israel would have been terminated months ago, and years ago, if I didn’t terminate the Obama horrible [Iran] deal.’
Later Trump noted: ‘Turkey is not a big fan of Israel, you know that, right? And not a big fan of Bibi.’
Relations between Turkey and Israel have collapsed over the past two years, with Netanyahu describing Turkish President Erdogan’s government as a regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood.
Israel objects to the sale of F-35 aircrafts because they claim it would upset a balance of power in the region. Despite Trump’s apparent enthusiasm for the sale, US law still prevents it.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after buying the Russian S-400 air defense system, and Congress passed legislation later that year barring any sale.
Earlier this month, Tump also said during his visit to Ankara that sanctions imposed on Turkey during his first term would be lifted, telling reporters that America does not sanction its friends.
