Report: US to Freeze $130 Million of Egyptian Military Aid Over Human-Rights Abuses

The United States is withholding $130 million worth of military aid to Egypt in order to pressure it to improve human rights, said two sources, including a U.S. official, according to Reuters.

The Biden administration decision would stop the transfer of the aid until Egypt improves its human-rights record, said an official quoted in the Reuters report. Sources said an official announcement would occur later this week.

Abdel Fattah El-Sisi came to power after toppling the Muslim Brotherhood government in 2013. The previous U.S. administration’s policy maintained the aid flow to Egypt.

The report comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Sharm El-Sheikh.

Bennett thanked El-Sisi for a warm reception at the coastal Egyptian city on the Sinai Peninsula, where the two agreed to continue broadening cooperation and dialogue on a range of issues.