In delaying a scheduled shipment of F-16 fighter jets to the Egyptian military, the Obama administration seems to seek to put some daylight between itself and the new, largely military-led regime in Egypt.
At issue is whether the July 3 protests that toppled president Mohammed Morsi is to be considered a coup. If it is, under U.S. law, all aid money must be halted, putting not just the four F-16s, but the entire $1 billion a year military package in jeopardy.
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"We are reviewing our obligations and are consulting with Congress about the way forward," a State Department official told Fox News.
The most concerning development is the latest, with the military's head, Gen. Abdul Fattah el Sissi, urging the people to"take to the streets this coming Friday to prove their will and give me, the army and police, a mandate to confront possible violence and terrorism."
El Sissi seems to be seeking to be looking for a thinly-veiled excuse to use the military to crack down on Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi supporters who have taken to the streets to protest what they see as the military coup of a democratically elected leader.
Others view the act as a coup as well, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has introduced legislation that legally designate the regime change a coup, thereby blocking any U.S. aid money.
"By the President's refusal to call the situation in Egypt a 'coup' and continuing the flow of foreign assistance to Egypt, he is forthrightly saying 'I am ignoring the rule of law,'" Paul said in a statement.