Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly rejected the notion that his country's historic peace agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) includes any reference to lifting restrictions on arms sales to the Gulf state in general, and on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning Ⅱ Joint Strike Fighter in particular. "The peace agreement with the United Arab Emirates does not include any reference to arms sales, and the US has made it clear that it will always take strict care to maintain Israel's qualitative edge," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement released on 18 August, five days after the historic deal was announced. "From the outset, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opposed the sale of F-35s and other advanced weaponry to any country in the Middle East, including Arab countries that have peace agreements with the State of Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly expressed this position to the American administration, and it has not changed."
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