Israel had made several attempts to purchase jets from the U.S. and European nations beginning in 1950, but were rejected every time. Britain was the only country that would sell Israel jets at the time, but they would not sell Israel state-of-the-art technology.
British and French
Period
The Meteor was the IAF's first jet fighter. The IAF purchased the Meteor from Britain in 1953, but it was obsolete when it arrived in Israel. They were replaced by a series of French made aircraft until the Six Day War. After the French stopped arms sales to Israel, U.S. aircraft replaced them.