According to a news report published by Reuters last week, the U.S. Senate's defense committee passed a bill that includes a measure to prevent Turkey from purchasing Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets. The senators pointed out that the bill was passed on the grounds of Turkey's detention of U.S. citizen Andrew Brunson, who is a Christian pastor.

Yes, they are referring to the same pastor lately being mentioned by U.S. President Donald Trump. Brunson must be more than an ordinary pastor because the president always speaks about him.

Let's pass the allegations on Brunson, that's not what to focus on right now. Also, for a country that harbors a terrorist who attempted to stage a coup in Turkey on the grounds that he is "only a religious functionary," this does not seem like a good pretext.

Besides, Turkey has been a member of the partnership that develops F-35 jets since 1993. In other words, we are financing the project alongside the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark. Consequently, the delivery of these jets to Turkey does not rely on the approval of the U.S.We all know that the issue of Pastor Brunson is only a pretext. The real reason for the U.S. using F-35 issue as a trump card is the S-400 air defense system agreement Turkey signed with Russia.

Nevertheless, this trump card of the Pentagon is won't affect Turkey's approach to the S-400. Also, even Trump suggested stopping the F-35 project at the same time military experts spoke poorly of the jet.

Turkey has many other alternative jet projects that are both contemporary and effectual. Given that Ankara leaned toward the S-400 air defense system after confronting the arbitrary restrictions on Patriots, and made its domestic armed aerial vehicle when they rejected to sell unarmed aerial vehicles, the F-35 is not the only choice for the country. 

So, how could Washington, who maintains alliance relations with Ankara for more than 50 years and has many bases in Turkey, bring an end to this tension that is certainly to its own detriment?

How could it prevent its isolation in the Middle East to the extent that it resorts to alliances with Saudis and the terrorist groups like the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People's Protection Units (YPG) while the field is left to Russia, and thus indirectly to China?

If they want to secure their influence in the Turkish defense industry market, they must firstly examine the data on the dramatically rising discontent toward the U.S. within the Turkish public.

Such a statistical examination will guide them.

By providing weapons to the terrorists and coupists who killed thousands of Turkish citizens, the U.S. does not give Turkey any reason to trust it at this moment. So, Ankara has a stronger hand considering the Turkish electorate as it leaned toward other defense systems that offer an alternative to the U.S. systems.