By Jana al-Masri | 2024-09-19

CAIRO -- The US State Department's recent unconditional release of military aid to Egypt attests to the strength of the strategic partnership between the two nations and signals US confidence in Cairo, analysts said.

The September 12 announcement "indicates US confidence in Egypt's policy and the role it plays as a stabilizing factor in the region," political analyst Abdul Nabi Bakkar told Al-Fassel.

The decision comes amid joint US-Egyptian-Qatari efforts to broker a Gaza ceasefire deal, with the US State Department explicitly mentioning Cairo's help in mediating between Israel and Hamas.

"This decision is important to advancing regional peace and Egypt's specific and ongoing contributions to US national security priorities, particularly to finalize a ceasefire agreement for Gaza," a State Department spokesperson said.

Egypt's role in promoting a ceasefire in Sudan also was highlighted.

The move is a US acknowledgment of steps Egypt has "already taken" on human rights, the spokesperson said, which include draft legislation on judicial reforms and the release of over 950 political prisoners since September 2023.

US-Egyptian partnership

The release of military aid "shows appreciation of Egypt's efforts to maintain security and stability in several hotspots in the region, especially Gaza, Sudan and Libya," Bakkar said.

It "holds greater political importance for Egypt than financial importance," he said, as it underscores the longstanding US-Egyptian alliance.

"That alliance was clear in the current crisis and the major efforts that Egypt has made to restore calm, reach a ceasefire and have the hostages released," he said.

The US military aid to Egypt underscores the support given to the Egyptian army which plays a key role in maintaining regional stability and combating terrorism, military expert Wael Abdul Muttalib told Al-Fassel.

"These are key points for the US policy," he said.

The aid includes "military equipment, training, technical qualification, spare parts for vehicles, and military consultations," he said.

This is "urgently needed" by the Egyptian army to maintain its full readiness to counter current potential threats, he added, noting that extremist groups typically exploit the security tensions to recover and carry out attacks.

Many Egyptian army officers have benefited from US-sponsored military training, Abdul Muttalib said, adding that "the result has been clear during the confrontations with the terrorist groups over the past years."

Egypt's success in the fight against the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) "is the biggest evidence of the importance of partnership between the two countries on all levels, especially military levels," he said.