US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Cairo this week to co-chair the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue — set to run from 17-19 September — alongside Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.

“The visit aims to strengthen the bilateral relationship and deepen economic development, as well as increase people-to-people ties through culture and education,” the US State Department of State said on Monday, adding that “during his visit Blinken is set to meet with state officials to discuss ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza.”

Blinken’s visit to Egypt this week was the second in one month and comes a few days after the Biden administration announced that Egypt would receive the full allocation of $1.3 billion in annual military aid.

This is the first time under the Biden administration that Egypt has received the military aid without deductions. In the past, $320 million had been withheld, conditional on “achieving improvements in Egypt’s human rights record”.

Egypt’s central role in regional peace efforts, especially in mediating ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas and managing humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, were underlined by US Secretary-of-State Antony Blinken when he informed Congress that Egypt would obtain the full military allocation without any conditions, according to US media outlets.

A State Department spokesperson told reporters on 11 September that Blinken had used his authority to waive any conditions on the aid on the grounds that it is important for regional stability and will bolster Egypt’s ability to help with US national security priorities, including brokering a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza and increasing the flow of humanitarian assistance into the Strip.

The $1.3 billion in military aid is composed of three tranches. The first, totalling $980 million, is granted automatically. The additional $225 million and $95 are subject to a variety of “human rights conditions” which this year the State Department decided to waive on national security grounds. “The United States is continuing a rigorous dialogue with the Egyptian government on the importance of concrete human rights improvements that are crucial to sustaining the strongest possible US-Egypt partnership,” the State Department spokesperson said.

Al-Ahram political analyst Mohamed Abul-Fadl says last week’s announcement reflects remarkable progress in the relationship between the Egyptian and American administrations.

“The first three years under the Biden administration were characterised by tension due to differences between Cairo and Washington over the interpretation of human rights but relations have gradually improved as Egypt played a key role in mediating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas,” said Abul-Fadl.

He notes that Biden and President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi have conducted several phone calls recently, and that Blinken and CIA director William Burns have visited Egypt multiple times over the last year in an attempt to negotiate a deal with Israel over the Philadelphi Corridor. He added that Egypt’s patience in dealing with Israel’s provocative deployment of forces along the border is appreciated by the US administration.

According to Abul-Fadl, President Al-Sisi’s 2022 decision to launch a national dialogue, introduce economic and political reforms and the subsequent release of political activists was a step forward.

The US State Department spokesperson told the media that Egypt was making progress on human rights. He cited draft legislation to reduce pre-trial detention, the new draft law on criminal procedures, the release of more than 950 political prisoners since September 2023 and the ending of travel bans and asset freezes associated with US funding of NGOs as evidence of Egypt’s new approach to human rights.

The spokesperson also singled out Cairo’s help in mediating between Israel and Hamas for special mention and referred to Egypt’s role “in promoting a ceasefire in Sudan” where a civil war has been raging for more than 16 months.

Blinken announced the release of the $1.3 billion allocation in a memo to Congress, as required under US law.

The Washington-based Army Recognition website reported that the $1.3 billion will be used to equip Egypt’s military with advanced systems to enhance operational readiness.

The aid package includes armoured vehicles, combat helicopters, armoured personnel carriers, M1A1 Abrams tanks and M88 armoured recovery vehicles alon with other sophisticated weaponry. The vehicles are particularly important in counterinsurgency operations.

The announcement of the release of military assistance in full came as the Egyptian and American navies were conducting joint multi-day drills in the Red Sea. The drills aim to streamline operational concepts between the two forces, said a statement issued by the Egyptian military.

Egypt recently hosted the US Joint Chief of Staff Charles Brown and Commander of US Central Command Michael Kurilla.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 19 September, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly