International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, 14 Apr 2008

Israel is increasingly concerned that the US will sell advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. Although this could present a stiff challenge for the IDF, it does give Israel the opportunity to ask the Pentagon for state-of-the-art technology that the Saudis will not acquire, so as to maintain its qualitative edge over potential enemies in the Middle East, defense officials said.

Senior Israeli defense officials Maj.-Gen. Amos Gilad and Pinhas Buchris both made separate trips to Washington in recent weeks to discuss with the Pentagon the possible Saudi arms sales and to present the IDF's own "shopping list" to Beth McCormick, US Deputy Undersecretary of defense for technology.

Gilad initially met with McCormick last June to submit Israel’s request that the US not sell Riyadh such advanced arms as the Boeing-made smart bombs known as JDAMs. If the sale goes through, Israel hopes that it, and not Riyadh, gets the latest version of the JDAMs.

Israel has also asked the US for advanced military technologies that no other country has received, such as the F-22 Raptor, the superior US stealth fighter jet that can bypass radar detection.

Israel's mounting concerns have come after Jerusalem learned that Saudi Arabia is hoping the US will sell them the advanced Joint Strike Fighter jet manufactured by Lockheed Martin, officials said on Sunday. "The Saudis want the plane.... They always look for top-of-the-line technology, and the Americans will have difficulty saying no," the official told The Jerusalem Post.

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