The story: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has halted talks with the US over the purchase of F-35 aircraft. An Emirati official has cited “technical reasons” as the cause for the suspension of negotiations. But reports say the deal has been stalled by US concerns over the UAE’s expanding partnership with China, and Washington’s commitment to maintaining Israel’s “qualitative military edge (QME)”—even after the Emirati normalization with Tel Aviv last year.

The coverage: The Abu Dhabi-based Al-Ain News on Dec. 14 reported that the UAE had decided to suspend negotiations with the United States...