AJC Urges President Obama to Reconsider Penalizing Egypt

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Oct 12, 2013, 08:54 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC is urging President Obama to reconsider his decision to withhold U.S. aid to Egypt.

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The Administration's action "sends the wrong signal to America's friends in Egypt and across the Middle East," AJC President Stanley M. Bergman and Executive Director David Harris wrote to President Obama.

"The broad and mutually beneficial relationship between our two countries offers a variety of other measures that can be taken to uphold American values and protect American interests in that vital region."

AJC has been extensively engaged in Egypt for more than a quarter of a century, and has followed with concern the developments in that important Arab country and their impact on the region since the overthrow of President Mubarak.

While AJC does not sanction the removal of a democratically elected government by non-democratic means, the Morsi government turned out to be "profoundly anti-democratic in nature and in practice," and thus was broadly rejected by the Egyptian public and ousted by the Egyptian military in July.

U.S. allies across the region "recognize the danger posed by the form of political absolutism demonstrated by the Muslim Brotherhood in its year in power, stand with America against terrorism, and look to America to uphold values the Brotherhood was committed to subverting," noted the AJC leaders.

AJC remains hopeful that the Egyptian people can achieve a "transparent, responsive and inclusive government." Restoring U.S. aid would be helpful.as Egypt strives to "transition to full civilian rule and demonstrable progress toward the establishment of democratic governance."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee