Howard Berman: “very, very reluctantly I rise in opposition to the amendment of my good friend and, more importantly, our wise and…”

“very, very reluctantly I rise in opposition to the amendment of my good friend and, more importantly, our wise and respected colleague, the ranking member of the Committee on International Relations (Mr. Lantos). He and I are hardly ever on opposite sides of an important issue relating to the Middle East. Everyone knows this amendment will not become law, irrespective of what happens today. Neither the Senate nor the conference committee will accept this transfer. The administration would veto it if it did. So, if you pardon the use of a military metaphor, this is simply a shot across the bow. There are ample reasons to take that shot. On democracy promotion, respect for human rights economic reforms, the Egyptian record is woefully inadequate. The state-sponsored media is filled with repulsive antisemitism and outrageous over-the-top scapegoating of Israel and the United States for the serious problems afflicting the Arab world. Egypt faces no external existential military threats. But this is the wrong time to take this shot and the wrong time to pass this amendment. Why? Because it will not achieve its purposes, and it threatens to undercut America's national interests in seeking to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. How so? For the first time in a very long time, the political and military leadership of Egypt appears willing to take real risks that will enhance Israel's security and force Yasser Arafat to end his support for terrorism.”