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Israel remains opposed to Türkiye purchasing advanced F-35 strike fighters from the United States and will not share the alleged Israeli technology included in the aircraft even if Ankara acquires them, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel told Greek newspaper Kathimerini on Monday.
"We have our reservations (regarding a possible sale). A lot of the technology inside the airplane is technology produced by Israel. And obviously this is not something that we will share with them," Haskel said.
Haskel said Israel is "concerned" about statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump that he is "very seriously considering" an agreement to sell F-35s to Türkiye.
"Even if they do get those airplanes," Israeli technology will not be part of such an agreement, Haskel added.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for Türkiye's re-entry into the F-35 program, saying it would help strengthen ties with Washington and NATO security.
"Türkiye's receipt of the F-35 aircraft for which it has already paid, and its reintegration into the program, are important and necessary," Erdogan said in written comments to Bloomberg.
Erdogan said he made his pitch personally to Trump during their White House meeting in September, calling the decision to expel Türkiye from the F-35 program over its purchase of Russian military equipment "unjust."
"With Trump's return to office, an opportunity has emerged to move Türkiye–U.S. relations onto a more reasonable and constructive footing," he noted.
The U.S. suspended Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 after objecting to its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, claiming the Russian system posed a risk to the F-35's stealth technology and NATO interoperability.
Several Turkish defense entities were sanctioned under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Türkiye has previously called its exclusion from the program unjust and expressed hope that the issue could be resolved during Trump's second term.
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