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Egyptian ambassador to the U.S. advises U.S. legislators to try to cut Washington’s 1.3 billion dollars Annual aid Cairo was “deceived by lies and lies” by members of a “terrorist organization”.
On Wednesday, Ambassador Motaz Zahran from the official account of the Egyptian Embassy in Washington tweeted a series of tweets that praised decades of close relations and praised the Egyptian government’s “great support for strengthening bilateral relations”. President Joe Biden and “the vast majority of members of Congress.”
He added that these lawmakers — seemingly different from others — “refused to be deceived by lies and lies spread by people belonging to terrorist organizations, who have a well-known record of spreading hatred and inciting violence, through consistent and thorough practices. The strategy of lies and delusions utilizes the inherent moral obligation that we all share, support, and have patronage, publicity, and promotion.”
The vast majority of congressmen resolutely refuse to be deceived by lies and lies spread by members of terrorist organizations. These people have a well-known record of spreading hatred and inciting violence…(6/7)
-The American Embassy of Egypt (@EgyptEmbassyUSA) August 11, 2021
As the dramatic events on social media occurred, the Biden administration faced increasing pressure from rights groups and US lawmakers to reduce military assistance to the administration of President Sisi.
Sisi came to power in the 2013 military coup that overthrew President Mohamed Morsi. He was accused of suppressing freedom of speech, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance.
Biden has previously stated that Sisi will “no longer have blank checks.” According to reports, Sisi was once called “favorite dictator” by former President Donald Trump. However, his government once again provided Egypt with 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in military assistance. Budget request for 2022.
This tweet from the Egyptian Embassy in the United States is very harmful and worrying.
Those of us who have correctly informed members of Congress of Egypt’s human rights record are providing an important background for pushing the United States to comply with its own and international legal standards when formulating American policies. pic.twitter.com/vFqYpZfO65
-Elisa Epstein (@elisacepstein) August 11, 2021
American representative Tom Malinowski, an outspoken critic of American aid to Egypt, quickly attacked the Egyptian ambassador’s message.
“Nothing can express the arrogance of the Egyptian dictatorship more than embezzling US$1.3 billion from U.S. taxpayers’ funds each year, while accusing members of Congress who are concerned about human rights (including the detention and torture of innocent Americans) being deceived by’terrorists’ ,” he wrote on Twitter.
Eliza Epstein, an advocacy officer for Human Rights Watch, called Zahran’s tweets “very harmful and worrying.”
Nothing can express the arrogance of the Egyptian dictatorship more than embezzling US$1.3 billion from US taxpayers’ funds each year while accusing members of Congress who are concerned about human rights (including the detention and torture of innocent Americans) being deceived by “terrorists”. pic.twitter.com/upt2ZoTitE
-Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 11, 2021
“Those of us who have correctly informed members of the Diet of Egypt’s human rights record are providing important context to push the United States to comply with its own and [international] Setting the legal standards for U.S. policy,” she wrote on Twitter.
‘Financial Torture’
Given Cairo’s influence in the Arab world, control of the Suez Canal (the arterial trade route connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea) and its land border with the Gaza Strip, close ties were once considered necessary for the United States, but critics It is believed that this correlation has weakened.
Since 2014, the U.S. Congress has regularly passed legislation requiring Washington to prove that the Cairo government is taking measures to address human rights violations before issuing part of the annual aid.
At the same time, the US government often invokes national security waivers to bypass this requirement.
Last week, US Senator Chris Murphy called on the Biden administration to withhold about US$300 million in aid in the coming year “as required by law”, saying that Egypt “has not made the necessary progress under the human rights and political speech laws.”
Murphy quoted reports that about 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt often face abuse and abuse. He added: “We are funding torture.”
“Constructive Partner”
The Biden administration has always insisted on making human rights a priority when dealing with Cairo, and a report by the State Department in January condemned violations under Sisi’s leadership.
The United States joined the UN Human Rights Council’s statement in March, condemning the prosecution of activists, journalists, and viewed as political opponents.
But observers said that the fatal escalation between Israel and Palestine in May, in which Egypt acted as a mediator, turned Cairo’s relations into Cairo’s favor.
Then, Biden made consecutive calls to Sisi, while U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken was in the last moment of his visit to Cairo, praise The “strategic partnership” between the two countries.
At that time, Michel Dunn, director and senior researcher of the Middle East Program of the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace, told Al Jazeera that Sisi’s timing was “the nectar from heaven”, giving him the opportunity to “show his usefulness” to Washington.
Recently, on Tuesday, U.S. officials again praised Egypt as a “constructive” defense partner at a hearing in the U.S. Senate.
Dana Stroul, deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, testified that the Biden administration is making human rights a priority in negotiations with Egypt.
“But we also believe and support Egypt’s legitimate security concerns, and believe that security assistance to Egypt is an important tool to support these needs,” she added.
“The current view of the government is that Egypt is playing a constructive role in border security, Libya, GERD (Ethiopian Renaissance Dam), and obviously the conflict in Gaza,” she said.
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