White House advisor Jared Kushner was in Cairo on Wednesday where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. It was part of a tour which takes him to Israel, Palestine and several Gulf nations.
Egypt expressed anger on Wednesday by a U.S. decision to delay and cut about $300 million in economic and military aid to the northern African country, citing human rights records.
In a foreign ministry statement, Cairo warned this action would lead to “negative consequences on U.S.-Egyptian interests.”
The tension marred Jared Kushner’s meetings, which were nearly cancelled by the Egyptian side, but went ahead after a 3-hour delay.
Tarek Bastawy, Egypt Foreign Affairs Analyst, said: “The tensions are rising because during Obama years blocking aid was expected but with the current president it shouldn’t have happened, but I believe it will remain strong.”
Middle East issues were discussed with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, but talks focused on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Egypt has been urging all parties to help relaunch the stalled peace process
Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry, said in a statement: “It’s time to end the static and unclear situation that the peace process is going through and launch a series of negotiations according to a set deadline between the Palestinians and Israelis. We call on the U.S. administration to exert more efforts in this regional conflict”
The White House advisor is in the region hoping to find a solution to the Middle East crisis.
But some are sceptical of success.
“The US sides with Israel, claiming it’s the weak and helpless country,” Bastawy staid.
“Ofcourse this is laughable but it shows that all these visits by U.S. delegations will not be fruitful as long as the U.S. is being biased towards Israel against Palestine.”
In spite of the tensions surrounding Kushner’s visit to Cairo, the U.S. delegation said Egypt remains a strong ally and a leading force in the war against terrorism and extremism.
