More than $5 billion worth of military equipment can be sold by the US to Egypt
The US government approved the sale of more than $5 billion worth of military equipment to Egypt on Friday. Egypt has become a closer partner in mediating the Gaza crisis, even though there are real concerns about human rights.
The State Department told Congress that the sale of $4.69 billion worth of equipment for 555 US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks that Egypt will use, as well as $630 million worth of Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and $30 million worth of precision-guided weapons, was allowed.
The sale, according to a statement, “will support U.S. foreign policy and national security by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally country that continues to be an important strategic partner in the Middle East.”
When he became president in 2021, Joe Biden promised to be tougher on Egypt because of concerns about human rights under President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. However, his government has repeatedly gone ahead with arms deals with Egypt.
The US has given a lot of security help to Cairo since it signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.
The United States and Egypt have been working together more and more closely since the war in Gaza in 2023. Cairo has been acting as a mediator.
In the last two years, Egypt has released hundreds of political prisoners, even though the world has criticised the country for doing so.
On the other hand, rights groups claim that the number of people jailed in the same period has increased by at least three times.
The US government also gave the go-ahead for $295 million worth of weapons to be sent to Taiwan, $170 million worth of bombs and missiles to Morocco, and $130 million worth of unmanned aircraft systems and armoured vehicles to Greece.
The authorisation for Taiwan came soon after Biden announced that the self-ruled island would be getting an extra $571.3 million in military aid. China claims the island as its own and has threatened to take it back by force if necessary.
Congress can still try to stop the sales, but most of the time they fail.