🔶 Netanyahu: The US should not sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, warned in a conversation with media on Monday that if the United States provides F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, this could upset the balance of power in the Middle East and threaten Israel’s air superiority in the region. In reference to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Turkey, he said: “Turkey is a great country, but it is run by a man who is openly seeking the destruction of Israel.” He added: “He has occupied half of Cyprus, a NATO member country. He is threatening Greece, another NATO member, and he speaks openly about the conquest of Jerusalem.” Netanyahu also referred to the presence and influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey and claimed that Ankara’s leadership is a “regime tainted by the Muslim Brotherhood” that, according to him, “hates America and chants ‘Death to America.’” The Israeli prime minister added that transferring F-35 fighter jets or fighter engines to Ankara could “upset the balance of power in the Middle East; a balance that is ultimately guaranteed by Israel’s air superiority and also, in my view, by the United States’ position in the Middle East.” Netanyahu also cited other reasons, including Turkey’s support for the Hamas terrorist group and not taking action against the Islamic government, as reasons, according to him, that Donald Trump, the president of the United States, should not help Ankara in obtaining F-35 fighter jets. Trump is expected to meet with Erdoğan this week during the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara. Netanyahu also rejected the existence of any serious tensions in his relationship with Trump and told Fox News that they are “almost in agreement on everything” and “the best allies of each other.” When asked about Trump’s remarks that could indicate signs of tension between the two, Netanyahu played the issue down and said: “The president has his own way of expressing things, and I do too.” Netanyahu also told Fox News that he has not yet set a date for his next meeting with Trump; a meeting that was announced for Friday. He said he hopes to discuss the Israel-Lebanon peace agreement in this meeting in order to move forward with the agreement reached through U.S. mediation.