Right, so, it seemed that Benjamin Netanyahu assumed Israel’s military superiority was something to be passed down like a hoard of treasure.

Definitely not to be shared. Hardly to be questioned. Certainly not something Saudi Arabia should be allowed anywhere near without first handing him that lovely normalisation deal he’s been after for so long but there’s fat chance of that fairy tale coming true anytime soon.

Israel has been the only state in West Asia in possession of the F-35. Not just operating it either, but enjoying its own specially modified version, because apparently ordinary preferential treatment wasn’t quite preferential enough.

Washington, however, is also knee-deep in this particular mess. Keep the Saudis hooked on American armaments, American training, American software and every overpriced Pentagon contraption bolted onto the thing. Keep Riyadh looking to Washington, rather than Beijing. Keep one of the Gulf’s biggest powers tied into the American military system for years to come. Especially now they are getting a wee bit desperate with regards to getting their oil shipped out and Little Donnie refusing to save them from those man and nasty Houthis.

And, naturally, that procurement process keeps them heading back to the American arms bazaar whenever they need an upgrade.

After all, Donald Trump, who is always in search of opportunities to sell weapons, greenlights a deal to sell the Saudis 48 F-35 jet fighters for $24.3 billion. And of course Israel immediately starts scribbling down a list of compensations faster than a little boy who saw his brother open a bigger, more attractive present.

Yes, the Saudis are apparently being allowed to purchase F-35s and Israel is whining like a little b*tch that it won’t have the biggest and best toys anymore.