“It won’t affect them,” Netanyahu said, when asked about the possible impact of the announcement by Washington on relations between Israel and the UAE.

The mending of ties between the two former foes has “passed the point of no return,” the prime minister insisted during a press conference broadcast on Facebook.

“Everyone understood that this [normalization deal] was a historic step and that there were enormous benefits here. It’s somewhere else already. I think it’s going to move forward,” he pointed out.

The $23 billion sale of 50 F-35 fighter jets to Abu Dhabi was greenlit by the Trump administration after the US-brokered agreement was signed between Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE in September.

All three countries publicly insisted the sale wasn’t on the agenda during the discussion of the so-called Abraham Accords. However, US officials acknowledged that the normalization move put Abu Dhabi in a more favorable position to receive advanced American weaponry. Israel, which earlier claimed the acquisition of F-35s by the UAE was a threat to its national security, also retracted any opposition to the sale of the stealth jets after the accords were signed.

The US also freezes missile and drone sale to Saudi Arabia who use these weapons against poor Yemen.