US approves $1.3B in military aid to Egypt, waiving human rights conditions

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Biden administration will provide Egypt with $1.3 billion in military assistance, including funding that Congress had tied to human rights improvements, a US State Department spokesperson said Wednesday.

“This decision is important to advancing regional peace and Egypt’s specific and ongoing contributions to US national security priorities, particularly to finalize a cease-fire agreement for Gaza, bring the hostages home, surge humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in need, and help bring an enduring end to the Israel-Hamas conflict,” a State Department spokesperson told Anadolu.

The spokesperson added that Egypt’s role in promoting a cease-fire in Sudan and facilitating humanitarian assistance was also critical to the decision.

The decision comes despite persistent concerns from rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers over Egypt’s human rights record under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who came to power one year after a military coup against democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

Out of the $1.3 billion in US military aid designated for Egypt, $320 million is tied to human rights related conditions.

But for fiscal year 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken used a national security waiver to bypass conditions on $225 million of the $320 million.

The remaining $95 million in conditional funding lacked a waiver and is subject to the statutory requirement that Egypt “is making clear and consistent progress in releasing political prisoners, providing detainees with due process, and preventing the harassment and intimidation of American citizens,” according to the State Department.

However, Blinken informed Congress Wednesday that Egypt has met these conditions, allowing the release of the remaining funds.