Threat To Cut U.S. Aid Opens Rift With Egypt

[Purveyor]

Pro-Israel advocates in Washington refrained from contesting a congressional decision last month to withhold part of American military aid to Egypt, in what appears to be a departure from a 30-year-old unwritten understanding that Israel would help Cairo fight off any efforts to cut American assistance to Egypt.

Since 1979, when Washington put together generous military-assistance packages following the signing of the Camp David peace accords, Israel and Egypt — the two largest recipients of American foreign aid — have been mutually supportive of each other’s aid packages. But when Congress decided last month to condition aid to Egypt on a crackdown on arms smuggling across the Gaza border and on improving its human rights record, Israel and its supporters in Washington remained noticeably silent.

The lack of support for Cairo among Israel’s allies in Washington so rankled the Egyptians that Foreign Minister Ahmed Abu Gheit accused the pro-Israel lobby last month of trying to “harm Egypt’s interests with the Congress,” and has prompted talk of a deepening crisis in Egypt’s relations with Israel and the United States.

Pro-Israeli activists in Washington say they have never crossed the line between raising concerns over Egypt’s behavior and actually calling on Congress to use foreign aid as a means of pressuring Cairo, despite the fact that Israelis and many American lawmakers believe that action must be taken to force Egypt into taking action on the Gaza border.

---EOE---

http://www.forward.com/articles/12443/

[gateley]

1. I know people are tired of hearing Biden's name, but

in instances like this, instead of hearing what "they" say and what "we" say, Biden tells us what IS.

I turn to him for the facts about these issues, and I miss getting a mini-education about what's going on.

That's all. :(

[Purveyor]

2. I'm sure the Putin/Russia would be more than happy to make up any foreign aid cuts made by the US.

Putin is more than eager to create more Mideast alliances.