Overview
- Israeli officials told Washington they would accept a potential F‑35 sale to Saudi Arabia only if it is conditioned on formal normalization with Israel and includes deployment limits to preserve Israel’s qualitative military edge.
- President Trump confirmed he is weighing a weapons package that could include F‑35 jets and said he will press Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on steps toward normalization at Tuesday’s White House meeting.
- Saudi leaders continue to require a credible, time‑bound pathway to Palestinian statehood as a prerequisite for normalization, a demand Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects.
- Senior U.S. officials describe wide gaps between Riyadh, Jerusalem and Washington and say approving F‑35s during this visit appears unlikely, with additional concerns over safeguarding sensitive technology from potential exposure to China.
- Negotiations are expected to center on a U.S.-Saudi security pledge delivered by executive action, alongside agreements on artificial intelligence, advanced chips and civilian nuclear cooperation.