The reported policy shift comes amid rapidly deteriorating relations between Israel and Turkey.By World Israel news StaffAs President Donald Trump travels to Ankara for this week’s NATO summit, where alliance leaders will meet to discuss collective defense and regional security, Reuters reports that his administration is expected to back Turkey’s bid to acquire F-35 stealth fighter jets, a move likely to raise concerns in Israel.The report comes days after Trump hinted that he planned to make a significant gesture toward Turkey.When asked by reporters whether he would bring any “gifts” for Ankara during his visit, Trump replied, “I’m going to probably do something that will make them very happy.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly urged Washington against such a move in an interview with Fox News on Monday, warning that advanced American fighter jets should not be provided to a government aligned with Islamist ideology.“For a regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood, an extreme movement that hates America and chants ‘Death to America,’ from that side of the spectrum, I don’t think they should be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets,” Netanyahu said. “It would upset the power balance in the Middle East.”The reported policy shift comes amid rapidly deteriorating relations between Israel and Turkey.In recent days, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan declared that “Israel has become a problem for the entire world” and described Israeli leaders as “a burden humanity can no longer bear,” prompting Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to accuse him of using “textbook incitement to genocide.”Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has likewise intensified his rhetoric, describing Zionism as “a genocidal, occupying, and expansionist ideology.”The Trump administration has already begun restoring defense ties with Ankara. Just weeks ago, it formally notified Congress of its intention to approve the sale of dozens of U.S.-made fighter jet engines worth more than $700 million for Turkey’s indigenous KAAN fighter program.Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program in 2020 after purchasing the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, which Washington argued posed a security risk to the stealth aircraft. Congress also enacted legislation prohibiting the transfer of F-35s to Turkey as long as it continues operating the S-400 system.According to Reuters, no final decision has been announced, and any sale would still face significant legal and congressional hurdles unless Turkey resolves the longstanding dispute over the Russian missile system.Nevertheless, Trump’s reported support signals the strongest indication yet that his administration is seeking to restore Turkey’s access to one of America’s most advanced military platforms.The post Trump expected to back F-35 sale to Turkey despite Israeli concerns appeared first on World Israel News.