Hitting back at PM, Gantz hints keeping F-35 deal secret harmed process

Defense Minister Benny Gantz is doubling down on his accusation that Israel’s defense community was in the dark about talks regarding sales of advanced arms to the UAE, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the claims baseless.

“As defense minister I state that the defense establishment did not know about and was not told by the prime minister about the negotiations for the supply of high-quality weapons systems to the United Arab Emirates,” he says in a tweeted statement.

“If the defense establishment had been given this information, that would have enabled the correct and responsible management of the process,” he charges.

He adds that he is “proud of our quick and fundamental work that led to the agreement I signed on Thursday with the US defense secretary, which will ensure the qualitative edge of Israel’s defense system and of the IDF for decades to come.”