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Senators Seek to Halt U.S. Arms Sales to Egypt

February 1, 2013 2:00 pm 1 comment

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United States Senator Rand Paul speaking at the Night of the Rising Stars in Des Moines, Iowa. Photo: Gage Skidmore.

Two Republican U.S. senators are aiming to stop America’s sale of weapons to Egypt.

Sen. Rand Paul (R–KY) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) each introduced legislation prohibiting the sale of F-16 aircraft, tanks and other advanced weapons to Egypt, whose president, Mohamed Morsi, comes from the historically anti-Israel Muslim Brotherhood party.

“I think it is a blunder of the first proportion to send sophisticated weapons to a country that allowed a mob to attack our embassy and to burn our flag… I find it objectionable to send weapons, F-16s and tanks, to a company that allowed a mob chanting ‘death to America’ to threaten our American diplomats,” Paul said in the Senate.

Although Inhofe initially voted against Paul’s amendment on the grounds that it is too costly for the U.S. defense budget to ban these sales completely, he then introduced his own bill to suspend sales until Egypt shows a commitment to a peaceful relationship with Israel, for securing U.S. embassies and consulates, and for respecting minority parties, The Hill reported.

“For decades, the U.S. has had a good relationship with Egypt, training their troops and working together to maintain peace and stability in the region… Under Muslim Brotherhood President Morsi, this relationship has come to a halt. We need to continue to support the Egyptian military, which Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood have currently distanced themselves from. Egypt’s military is our friend—Morsi is our enemy,” Inhofe said, according to Israel National News.

1 Comment

Michael Hudson

March 19, 2013
9:51 am

The US gov’t is still selling sophisticated weapons to a government which is hostile to our interests and those of our allies, and to freedom in general. Why do we sell sophisticated weapons of war to terrible and oppressive governments? Because the Defense Department needs to make money. That is what the article admits. The US government has lost its moral compass. We supported Egypt for many years in order to provide peace and security to the region. Why are we supporting a government which endangers peace and security and freedom in the region? Morsi facilitates Hamas in Gaza. Egypt’s gov’t is a destabilizing factor in the region, now. We should not support it.

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