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US reduces Egypt aid, maintains support against Sinai terror
The United States yesterday announced that it plans to withhold some cash assistance and delivery of military hardware to Egypt in response to Egypt’s political direction since the ouster of Mohammed Morsi in July.
Although the US State Department made it clear that it is not cutting all military aid to Egypt, it is suspending a large part of the estimated £810million that Cairo receives. Delivery of American F-16 fighter jets, Apache helicopters and tanks in addition to some cash is being withheld “pending credible progress toward an inclusive, democratically elected civilian government through free and fair elections,” said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
Since the removal of Morsi from power by Egypt’s military in July, Egypt;s military rulers have moved to ban the Muslim Brotherhood and imprison its leaders. Security forces and Morsi supporters have clashed with increasing regularity, most recently on Sunday when at least fifty people died. It was announced yesterday that Morsi will be charged with inciting violence, which could incur the death penalty.
However, despite apparent American dissatisfaction over Egyptian military rule, the State Department made clear that the United States will maintain support for counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation and security in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The Sinai region has become a hotbed of Islamist violence against Egyptian security forces since July, with Egypt’s rulers accusing Hamas of aiding the attacks. The instability in Sinai has also threatened Israel’s security. Rockets have been fired at the southern resort city of Eilat on more than one occasion in recent months.
Although there has been no official Israeli response to the American announcement yesterday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a radio interview last week, that Israel’s peace with Egypt is “premised on American aid to Egypt, and I think that for us is the most important consideration, and I’m sure that’s taken under advisement in Washington.”