WASHINGTON (Middle East Eye) – Rights groups and Middle East policy experts have lauded a failed attempt by Senator Rand Paul to block a $2.2bn military sale to Egypt, saying the congressional vote showed a growing sense of bipartisan frustration over a perceived failure by Washington to hold Cairo accountable over its human rights record.
On Thursday, the Senate voted down a resolution proposed by Paul, which sought to block the sale of a dozen 130J cargo planes, radar systems, and related equipment to Egypt.
“We should end military sales to Egypt’s criminal masters,” Paul said on the Senate floor.
“Partially taking away some military aid while offering new sales that are 10 times what we’ve withheld shows weakness in the face of oppression,” he added, in reference to a move by Washington to withhold $130m in aid over human rights concerns.
The measure was thrown out in an 80-19 vote, but prominent lawmakers including Senators Chris Murphy, Patrick Leahy, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Mike Lee joined Paul in voting for the bill.
“This vote is rather unprecedented for arms sales to Egypt. It’s a rare moment to see senators express concern for ongoing U.S. support for Egypt’s authoritarian, rights-abusing government through a vote to block an arms sale,” Seth Binder, advocacy director at the Project on Middle East Democracy, told Middle East Eye.
Raed Jarrar, Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn)’s advocacy director, told MEE that “this is the first time that we’ve got the Senate on record regarding an arms sale for Egypt. This has never happened before.”
“The introduction of the joint resolution of disapproval was definitely a symbolic and political message to the Egyptian government.
“There wasn’t any expectation that it would pass, but it was a move to send the message that we’re watching the human rights abuses of Egypt and we’re not okay with the blank cheque policy of supporting the Sisi regime.”
Egypt is considered to be the world’s third-worst jailer of journalists, with an estimated 60,000 political prisoners being held in jails in the country, according to rights groups.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has consistently denied this and framed the crackdown as part of a fight against terrorism.