Two influential US Republican senators sent a sharply worded letter to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright last week opposing supplemental financial aid to Egypt in light of the "pernicious role" it has played in the current crisis in the Palestinian territories, reported the Jerusalem Post newspaper.
The senators - Jesse Helms, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Sam Brownback, chairman of the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs - expressed "puzzlement", and said they were "frankly astonished" by the administration's request for $225 million in emergency military aid for Egypt, said the paper.
That assistance is part of a $750m-emergency supplemental aid package for Israel, Egypt, and Jordan. Israel stands to get $450m if the package is passed.
"Since the very beginning of the turmoil between Israel and the Palestinians, Egypt has played an obviously pernicious role - agitating Arab states to launch action against Israel, coordinating the Arab League's concerted attack on Israel, while egging on United Nations members to sponsor resolutions condemning Israel and worse," the letter read.
"On November 20, 2000, in the wake of a disgraceful attack by Palestinian terrorists against a school-bus packed with Jewish children [and the subsequent Israeli retaliation against Palestinian military sites], the government of Egypt recalled its ambassador to Israel. Such moves serve only to encourage terrorists - whose goal is to end the peace process and, ultimately, to eliminate the State of Israel," the letter said.
"At a time when Egypt is inciting hostility against the State of Israel (and by extension, the United States), it is impossible to give an honest explanation to the taxpayers of America that any legitimate emergency exists to justify giving one quarter of a billion dollars in additional assistance to Egypt - or indeed, a legitimate justification for the billions of dollars given to Egypt in regular appropriations."
Helms, said one US official, is a "very heavy hitter" on Capitol Hill, and his comments on this matter are not likely to be taken lightly at the State Department.
According to the paper, Israeli officials, as well as pro-Israeli activists in Washington, were very careful in their response to the letter.
A senior official in the Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s office said that this is an "internal American affair" in which Israel will not get involved.
There are, however, mixed signals being sent from Jerusalem, with one school of thought signaling US lawmakers that "this is not exactly the time to award extra aid" to Egypt, while another school of thought believes that Egypt still plays a valuable role in the peace process and should not be alienated, added the paper – Albawaba.com
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
