Washington, D.C. – Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Queens & Brooklyn) has introduced the Egyptian Counterterrorism and Political Reform Act, legislation designed to push Egypt into compliance with its commitments to Israel under the historic Camp David Accords.  The Act converts all U.S. military aid to Egypt into economic aid.

            In 1978, the United States brokered the Camp David Accords, a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.  Under the Accords, Egypt pledged to halt all violence towards Israel, give Israel full diplomatic recognition, and foster understanding between the two countries.

            However, Egypt has failed to live up to its promises.  Under the Accords:

• Egypt pledged “to ensure that acts or threats of…violence [against Israel] do not originate” in Egypt, but Israeli Defense Forces have repeatedly found arms smuggling tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza strip, more than 40 found in 2003. 

• Egypt agreed to provide Israel with “full recognition” and to end “economic boycotts”, but Egypt has remained a member of the Arab League, which maintains a boycott of Israel, and in November 2000 recalled its ambassador.

• Egypt agreed to “foster mutual understanding and tolerance” between the two countries, and “abstain from hostile propaganda”, but Al-Ahkbar, the government controlled newspaper, published award winning columns entitled “Thanks to Hitler”, and Egypt’s state run television broadcast a program based on the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a virulently anti-Semitic document. 

Despite Egypt’s failures to live up to its Camp David commitments, each year the United States sends Egypt $1.3 billion in military aid, which it uses to buy fighter jets, rocket launchers and machine guns.  Rep. Weiner’s bill would convert this aid into economic assistance, which instead could be used for development projects, to pay for the import of non-military U.S. goods, or to implement economic policy reforms.

“The Camp David Accords were supposed to be a harbinger of peace, stability and democracy in the Middle East, but Egypt hasn’t upheld its end of the bargain,” said Rep. Weiner.  “Before we send another dollar to arm Egypt, we should ensure that they live up to their responsibility to be a friend of Israel and a reliable U.S. ally to the Middle East.”