CAIRO - This question might seem silly at a time when Egypt is suffering from chronic economic problems and is sorely in need of financial assistance. Nevertheless, many political activists and even economic experts see no real benefit in the American aid given to Egypt since it signed the 1979 peace treaty with Israel. They have even called upon the Government to reject such aid that the US Administration seems to be using to pressurise Cairo into taking certain stands that aren't really in Egypt's national interests. These experts explain that most of the American aid to Egypt ($1.3 billion out of a total $1.551 billion) is military aid with conditions attached. The first of these conditions is that Egypt commits itself to protecting the border with Israel, which means that this aid benefits Israel rather than Egypt. Besides, it also means helping Israel maintain its inhumane siege of Gaza, which is something unacceptable in post-revolution Egypt. Meanwhile, most of the aid allocated for civil purposes is being directed to NGOs, away from the eyes of the Egyptian Government and always serving a certain political agenda. This is clear American interference in Egypt's domestic affairs. For some years now, Washington has been using this aid to pressurise the Egyptian Government to take certain stands on different regional issues, threatening to cut it if the Government does not protect minority rights in some cases and freedom of expression in other cases. At the same time, Washington continues to send aid to Israel, especially military aid in the form of advanced weapons used to attack Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. Indeed, this aid has actually increased. Despite the many Israeli violations of the peace treaties conducted with the Arabs under the auspices of the US, Washington has never considered cutting aid to Israel or even threatened to do so, to force it to be committed to the peace drive. It might, therefore, be time to start dealing with Washington a different way, forcing it to show some respect for public opinion that wants the decision-making process to be freed of American dictates, even if this means no longer receiving such suspicious aid.
