Report: Israeli protests stall Gulf arms sale

Israeli objections have delayed a major arms deal that the United States wants to offer Saudi Arabia for Iran deterrence, the New York Times has reported.

US officials told the newspaper that Israel opposed the package because it was concerned the advanced weaponry could end up in the wrong hands and would damage Israel's military advantage in the region.

In recent months numerous Israeli officials have visited the US to lobby against various aspects of the planned sales.

According to officials in Washington, Israel was particularly concerned over the Saudis attaining precision-guided weapons, which would significantly improve the capabilities and shooting accuracy of Saudi warplanes.

“Israel has expressed concern that this proposal could affect its QME (qualitative military edge),” a Defense Department official said.

In response to Israeli concerns, plans to present the weapons sales plan to Congress were postponed at least until later this month, US officials told the New York Times.

“We don’t want to go to Congress until we’ve got everybody on board,” the official was quoted in the report. Congress has 30 days to decide whether or not to block the sales after they are formally presented.

Although no precise dollar figure was given, one American defense industry executive told the Times that the entire deal as is stood now totaled $5-$10 billion.

Although the United States hopes to shore up its Sunni Arab allies, particularly against the Iranian threat, Israel fears that American hopes for an alliance may never materialize. Additionally, a revolution in Saudi Arabia could put the advanced weapons in enemy hands, Israel warns.

“The Israelis believe the government of Saudi Arabia is under a great deal of pressure,” said David Schenker, a former Pentagon official who is now a senior fellow on Arab politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.