Trump Considers F-35s for Saudis, Israel's 'Qualitative Edge' Vanishes Again
Donald Trump is openly 'considering' an F-35 fighter jet deal with Saudi Arabia, framing it as integral to normalizing relations with Israel. The mainstream media dutifully reports this as a pragmatic step, side-stepping the persistent U.S. commitment to maintaining Israel's 'Qualitative Military Edge' (QME) under the Arms Export Control Act. This isn't groundbreaking: the Trump administration
pushed through an F-16 sale to the UAE in 2020 under similar pretexts, sparking an AIPAC-backed congressional scramble to block it and reassert QME. One might wonder if the 'QME' principle isn't just a convenient talking point, readily sacrificed for lucrative arms deals and geopolitical chessboard moves. After all, the U.S. State Department’s own 2024 budget request included $3.3 billion in
security assistance to Israel, while Saudi Arabia remains a top purchaser of U.S. weaponry. It appears that stability and 'peace' are measured, not in human lives, but in the soaring profits of defense contractors, deftly sidestepping any mention of regional civilians receiving these 'peace' dividends.