U.S. Pays $1.3 Billion Bribe to Egypt so Israel Can Continue Genocide in Gaza

Human Rights Watch says repressive activities in Cairo remain widespread.

The U.S. just bribed Egypt with $1.3 billion in military aid to get Cairo to “continue to participate in U.S. policy towards Palestine, which equates to facilitating the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” Dr. Annelle Sheline, a research fellow for the Middle East at the Quincy Institute posted on Wednesday.

Reuters reported that the Biden administration agreed to provide the funding despite human rights conditions. A State Department spokesman told the outlet that Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed Congress that “he waived a certification requirement on $225 million related to Egypt’s human rights record this year citing ‘the U.S. national security interest.’”

The U.S. would normally withhold the funding if certain goals were not met by the Egyptians.

Sheline posted on X: “To be clear, Egypt's human right record has not improved in the slightest This is about bribing Egypt to continue to participate in U.S. policy towards Palestine, which equates to facilitating the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”

Sheline, in May, resigned from her post at the State Department over the administration’s policy towards Gaza.

“The fundamental reason was – I no longer wanted to be affiliated with this administration,” she told the Guardian. “I have a young daughter. She’s not yet two, but if someday in the future, she is learning about this and knows that I was at the state department and she asked me [about it] – I want to be able to tell her that I did what I could.”

Human Rights Watch posted online: “President al-Sisi’s government has not eased its nationwide repression that caused one of Egypt’s worst human rights crises in many decades. Whitewashing efforts meant little beyond cosmetic changes. Authorities released hundreds of detainees but arrested much more, adding to the thousands of critics, including journalists, peaceful activists, and human rights defenders, who remain imprisoned. Civil society key members face intimidation, travel bans, and assets freeze. Authorities harass and detain relatives of dissidents abroad and use vague “morality” charges to prosecute LGBT people, female social media influencers, and survivors of sexual violence. Grave crimes, including torture and enforced disappearances, are committed with impunity.”

Seth Binder, director of advocacy at the Washington-based Middle East Democracy Center, told Al-Monitor: “This decision completely abandons human rights in Egypt and violates U.S. law. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise based on how we have seen this administration execute US policy in the region over the past year.”