Israel has always wanted the F-15 Stealth Eagle instead of the F-35...

Thanks to T.Rob for the link!

via Defense.PK

A key request was for Obama to grant Israel access to Boeing's proposed F-15 stealth variant, called Silent Eagle and unveiled in 2009. Both Israel and Saudi Arabia have expressed interest in the stealth design, but the Obama administration has ordered the closure of the F-15 production line as the Defense Department prepares for the introduction of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
"Israel wants the stealth F-15 as its next aircraft, but Washington wants Israel to buy the F-35 ahead of every other international partner," the source said.

This story is from 2010 and can be read here.

What people forget and what no one wants to admit is how good their intel gathering arms are.  For goodness sake they were able to spy on the Iran nuke deal and that's with the best we have trying to keep the meetings secret!

So its a given that they know the real deal behind the F-35.  Don't be misled by the happy talk coming from the IAF.  If they were as sold on the F-35 as many of the fanboys make out then there would be no need to ask for F-15SEs.

But they are.