\u201cI don\u2019t think they should be given F-35s or engines for their fighter jets,\u201d he insisted.<\/p>\n
Last month, Trump seemed to indicate he would agree to sell Turkey F110 fighter jet engines and readmit the country to the F-35 program. Turkey needs the engines for its KAAN fifth-generation fighter jets, which it began developing after it was excluded from the F-35 program in 2019.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu argued that such a move would \u201cupset the balance of power in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israel\u2019s air superiority and also America\u2019s posture in the Middle East.\u201d Israel has dozens of F-35s in its inventory.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
\n\t\t\tby email and never miss our top stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n He called Turkey \u201ca great country\u201d but lamented that it is ruled by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who, he said, openly threatens Israel with destruction and occupies half of Cyprus.<\/p>\n \t Reuters reported last month that the Trump administration has formally notified Congress of its intention to sell more than $700 million of jet engines to Turkey. The report cited two sources and a copy of the formal notification seen by the news agency.<\/p>\n Asked at the time if he was preparing to sell the engines and F-35s to Turkey, Trump said \u201cI think so, look\u2026 I\u2019m going to probably do something that\u2019s going to make him [Erdogan] very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Pressed on what specifically needs to happen for the F-35 sale to go through, Trump punted the question to Vice President JD Vance.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are certain things that we have to certify that have happened in order to comply with American law. The president has asked us to do that\u2026 so they can get the F-35s\u2026 This is really a congressional thing,\u201d Vance said before Trump chimed in, insisting that the issue would be sorted out.<\/p>\n Sale of the F-35 to Turkey would be seen as an important gesture to Ankara ahead of the pivotal NATO summit on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as to Erdogan, whom Trump considers a key ally. Aside from Israel, Greece is also opposed to such a sale.<\/p>\n The fighter jet, a top-of-the-line stealth plane, was originally developed by the US in partnership with other NATO countries under a program called the Joint Strike Fighter. However, the US booted Turkey from the development of the F-35 after Erdogan went ahead with purchases of the S-400 missile defense from Russia.<\/p>\n \t US law does not permit Turkey to operate or possess the S-400 system if it wishes to rejoin the F-35 program. However, US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said in December that the warm relationship between Trump and Erdogan helped the two sides hold \u201cthe most fruitful conversations we have had on this topic in nearly a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n Israeli companies manufacture some key components of the F-35 system, including a state-of-the-art helmet that is a joint project by Elbit Systems and the American Rockwell Collins.<\/p>\n While Israel\u2019s relations with Turkey, which were once the Jewish state\u2019s strongest with any country in the region, have drastically deteriorated following Erdogan\u2019s rise to power, they have been particularly strained since the start of the Gaza war sparked by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack.<\/p>\n No date on Netanyahu visit to Washington<\/p>\n In other remarks to Fox, Netanyahu said that no date has been set for an upcoming visit to Washington<\/a>, DC, to meet with Trump, and once again downplayed recent tensions over the US-Iran memorandum of understanding.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see eye-to-eye on just about everything,\u201d Netanyahu claimed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have disagreements from time to time, but we work them out because we\u2019re allies,\u201d he said, noting that he and Trump speak about disagreements \u201cin open conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe president has his way of expressing things, and so do I,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re allies,\u201d he repeated. \u201cWe\u2019re your model ally.\u201d<\/p>\n He stressed that Israel respects the US, and that there are \u201cmultiple ways of ironing out our differences as allies that respect each other.\u201d<\/p>\n \t The MOU extended by 60 days a temporary ceasefire in the joint US-Israel war with Iran, though Israel was not a party to the deal. Israeli officials are concerned that the MOU does not do enough to prevent the weaponization of Iran\u2019s nuclear program or place restrictions on its ballistic missile development.<\/p>\n The MOU also called for an end to hostilities in Lebanon, where Israel has been battling Hezbollah after the Iran-backed terror group attacked Israel in support of its patron. US-hosted talks led to Israel and Lebanon signing an agreement to stop the war, which Hezbollah rejected, though it reached its own shaky understanding with Israel to reduce the fighting.<\/p>\n Netanyahu said Israel would \u201clike to see peace with Lebanon advance\u201d during his trip to Washington. \u201cThe fact that we basically hammered the Iranian regime, we weakened it substantially, and that opened the path for more peace deals.\u201d<\/p>\n He emphasized that the Islamic Republic is \u201cnot America\u2019s friend, and we should not let them have nuclear weapons or the means to deliver them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a battle of freedom versus fanaticism,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n Asked why the regime in Iran, which is avowed to destroy Israel, is still standing despite the widespread joint bombing campaign by the US and Israel, Netanyahu said it was because it has \u201ca few hundred thousand goons who kill, murder in broad daylight and at night. They murder their own people.\u201d<\/p>\n Reflecting on America\u2019s 250th anniversary, Netanyahu called the US \u201ca tremendous force for good\u2026without America there wouldn\u2019t be any democracy in the world or any freedom in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGod bless America,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
\t\t\t
\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t That\u2019s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven\u2019t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.<\/p>\n For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n Thank you, \t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/vlcsnap-2026-07-06-16h45m32s296-copy2-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tScreen capture from video of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an interview with Fox News, July 6, 2026. (Fox News)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP25286589797516-e1768734949532-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump (left) greets Turkey\u2019s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, October 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP\/Evan Vucci, Pool)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26061855785359-e1772607057435-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, December 29, 2025. (Alex Brandon\/AP)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tWe can’t do this work alone.\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-4-200x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYou’re a dedicated reader\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/334x334-200x200.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n