Major Shaitan Singh
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U.S. President Barack Obama has agreed to send Egypt 12 F-16 fighter jets and other weapons that had been held up after the 2013 military takeover that ousted democratically elected President Mohamed Mursi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Obama also will support continuing to provide $1.3 billion a year in military assistance to Egypt after a review prompted by the takeover that installed President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement on Tuesday.
The resumption of aid comes as the administration is being criticized by Israel, members of Congress and partners in the Arab Middle East who say that the U.S. is abandoning longtime allies to secure a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. It also comes as Egypt has agreed to joint an Arab military force to confront growing instability in the Middle East.
While U.S. law requires suspending aid to countries where the government is deposed in a coup d’etat, the Obama administration has stopped short of calling Mursi’s ouster a coup. At the same time, the administration sidestepped a provision in legislation calling for a certification that Egypt is moving toward democracy.
While no certification will be made, “we will continue to engage with Egypt frankly and directly on its political trajectory and to raise human rights and political reform issues at the highest levels,” Meehan said.
The new aid agreement allows for the release of 12 F-16s made by Lockheed Martin Corp., 20 Harpoon missiles from Boeing Co. and kits to assemble 125 M1A1 Abrams tanks from General Dynamics Corp.
Helicopters Delivered
Obama allowed a partial delivery of aid, including 10 helicopters, almost a year ago after certifying that Egypt is abiding by its peace treaty with Israel and combating terrorism.
The administration also announced plans to tailor military aid to Egypt beginning in fiscal 2018 to focus on counterterrorism, border security, maritime security and security of the Sinai Peninsula.
“In this way, we will ensure that U.S. funding is being used to promote shared objectives in the region, including a secure and stable Egypt and the defeat of terrorist organizations,” Meehan said.
Human-Rights Record
Human Rights Watch criticized the resumption of aid because of El-Sisi’s human-rights record, including the arrest of 41,000 people after Mursi’s ouster.
“The U.S. has all but abandoned its push for Egypt to become a more inclusive democracy,” Sarah Margon, the New York-based group’s Washington director, said in a telephone interview. By releasing the weapons, the U.S. is “basically giving away the leverage they might have to push Sisi to make change domestically.”
The U.S. has given Egypt about $1.3 billion a year in military aid as a byproduct of the U.S.-brokered Camp David agreement of 1978, when Egypt split from its Arab neighbors and agreed on a separate peace treaty with Israel.
Obama also will support continuing to provide $1.3 billion a year in military assistance to Egypt after a review prompted by the takeover that installed President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement on Tuesday.
The resumption of aid comes as the administration is being criticized by Israel, members of Congress and partners in the Arab Middle East who say that the U.S. is abandoning longtime allies to secure a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. It also comes as Egypt has agreed to joint an Arab military force to confront growing instability in the Middle East.
While U.S. law requires suspending aid to countries where the government is deposed in a coup d’etat, the Obama administration has stopped short of calling Mursi’s ouster a coup. At the same time, the administration sidestepped a provision in legislation calling for a certification that Egypt is moving toward democracy.
While no certification will be made, “we will continue to engage with Egypt frankly and directly on its political trajectory and to raise human rights and political reform issues at the highest levels,” Meehan said.
The new aid agreement allows for the release of 12 F-16s made by Lockheed Martin Corp., 20 Harpoon missiles from Boeing Co. and kits to assemble 125 M1A1 Abrams tanks from General Dynamics Corp.
Helicopters Delivered
Obama allowed a partial delivery of aid, including 10 helicopters, almost a year ago after certifying that Egypt is abiding by its peace treaty with Israel and combating terrorism.
The administration also announced plans to tailor military aid to Egypt beginning in fiscal 2018 to focus on counterterrorism, border security, maritime security and security of the Sinai Peninsula.
“In this way, we will ensure that U.S. funding is being used to promote shared objectives in the region, including a secure and stable Egypt and the defeat of terrorist organizations,” Meehan said.
Human-Rights Record
Human Rights Watch criticized the resumption of aid because of El-Sisi’s human-rights record, including the arrest of 41,000 people after Mursi’s ouster.
“The U.S. has all but abandoned its push for Egypt to become a more inclusive democracy,” Sarah Margon, the New York-based group’s Washington director, said in a telephone interview. By releasing the weapons, the U.S. is “basically giving away the leverage they might have to push Sisi to make change domestically.”
The U.S. has given Egypt about $1.3 billion a year in military aid as a byproduct of the U.S.-brokered Camp David agreement of 1978, when Egypt split from its Arab neighbors and agreed on a separate peace treaty with Israel.
