Egyptian supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi shout slogans as they rally outside Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque on July 8, 2013.
Tue Jul 9, 2013 8:58AM
Under the US law, the government has to suspend foreign aid to any country whose elected leader is toppled in a coup. Obama has so far stopped short of describing the events in Egypt as a coup."
The Israeli regime has reportedly warned Washington against cutting military aid to Egypt in response to the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi by the African country’s army.
Israeli officials repeatedly asked senior American officials not to halt the USD 1.3 billion in aid, the US administration gives to Egypt every year, Israeli daily Haaretz said on Tuesday, citing an unnamed American official.
The paper said that marathon phone calls about the recent development in Egypt took place between Israeli and American officials over the weekend.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry, while Minister of Military Affairs Moshe Ya’alon spoke with US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
The calls were aimed at coordinating US and Israel position on Egypt following the overthrow of Morsi’s government, the American official said. The Tel Aviv regime warned that the US aid cut would likely have negative impacts on Israel’s security, particularly its peace treaty with Egypt.
The American official also told the daily that the Israeli officials expressed their satisfaction at the crisis in Egypt.
On July 4, Israeli daily Globes also said that the Tel Aviv regime was worried that the US government would suspend the annual military aid. The paper added that Israel might ask the US administration to find a way to continue supplying aid to Egypt.
Under the US law, the government has to suspend foreign aid to any country whose elected leader is toppled in a coup. Obama has so far stopped short of describing the events in Egypt as a coup.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday that the US administration would not stop providing military aid to Egypt as it was still reviewing whether or not to label Morsi’s ouster a coup.
Morsi was unseated on July 3, and the Chief Justice of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly Mansour, was sworn in as interim president of Egypt on July 4.
Egypt has been the scene of rival rallies and clashes between thousands of supporters and opponents of the ousted president as political turmoil escalates in the North African country.
SAB/HN