US President Joe Biden’s administration has redirected $95 million of military aid, originally allocated to Egypt, to Lebanon [Getty]
A decision by US President Joe Biden’s administration to redirect $95 million of US military aid—initially allocated for Egypt—to Lebanon has sparked anger among Egyptian officials, particularly within the armed forces, according to Egyptian sources speaking to The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
The sources revealed that Egyptian officials view this move as indicative of a dual US approach towards Egypt, as Washington continues to rely on Egypt in significant regional matters, such as mediating in Israel’s war on Gaza alongside Qatar since 7 October 2023.
However, the officials also accuse the US of using human rights as a political pressure tool.
While the US State Department has reiterated the importance of its partnership with Egypt and its central role in Middle Eastern affairs, the redirection of military aid to Lebanon is believed to be a sign that Washington is unwilling to overlook human rights violations by Egypt, including the imprisonment of thousands of political dissidents, many of whom have been abused and tortured.
The Biden administration’s decision to divert $95 million in military assistance originally earmarked for Egypt to Lebanon was reported by Reuters on Monday.
The Lebanese armed forces are described as “a key partner” in ensuring that a November Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement holds and that Hezbollah does not pose a threat to Israel.Â
This shift in aid comes amid increasing US focus on human rights in its dealings with Egypt. There has been growing frustration in the US Congress, particularly among Senate Democrats including Senator Chris Murphy, who has criticised continued US military aid to Egypt despite its failure to meet congressional human rights conditions.
In a statement from September last year, Murphy highlighted that the US had previously withheld part of Egypt’s military aid due to human rights concerns, a stance he believes should continue.
“It’s no secret that Egypt remains a deeply repressive autocratic state, and I see no good reason to ignore that fact by waiving these requirements,” he said.
Murphy, along with Delaware Senator Chris Coons, also condemned Biden’s initial decision to provide Egypt’s full allocation of military aid, citing Egypt’s continued jailing of political prisoners.
They emphasised that, for every political prisoner released, two more had been jailed. Among those detained were two US citizens, Hosam Khalaf and Salah Soltan, whom human rights groups argue were wrongfully imprisoned.
Murphy and Coons, along with other Democratic senators such as Bernie Sanders, urged US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to hold Egypt accountable by enforcing conditions set by Congress and withholding aid until improvements are made in Egypt’s human rights record.
Human rights organisations and lawmakers maintain that the charges against Khalaf and Soltan are politically motivated.
Since the latest US decision, Senator Murphy said he welcomed the decision to shift the funding to Lebanon.
Cairo has yet to comment officially on the decision, but government sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that they are dissatisfied with the US approach, which they consider “blatant interference” in Egypt’s internal affairs.
These sources pointed out that Egypt has made significant concessions on sensitive regional issues in line with American strategy, and therefore, from their perspective, the decision to withhold aid is unjustified.
Hussein Haridi, a former Egyptian assistant foreign minister, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the US decision would not affect the broader bilateral relations between Egypt and the US.
He noted that such measures are not unprecedented, often stemming from internal political pressures within the United States.
Haridi also emphasised that Egypt-US relations are grounded in strategic cooperation, including military and security partnerships, and underscored Egypt’s importance as a key US ally in the MENA region.
