Egypt: Israeli Lobby 'Harms' US

You won't hear this comment from any American politician. No one stands up to the Israeli lobby in Washington:

Egypt's foreign minister on Wednesday accused the Israeli lobby of harming its relations with the United States by using the issue of weapons smuggling across its border with Gaza as an excuse to cut Washington's military aid to Cairo.

The remarks came ahead of a meeting between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, where they are expected to discuss the smuggling. The also come amid heightened tension between Egypt and Israel, which claims that not enough is being done to stem the flow of weapons.

"The latest months have seen the Israeli lobby's efforts to harm Egypt's interests with the Congress," Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters. "The Israeli lobby inside the (U.S.) Congress was behind some positions adopted by Congress and the Israeli media campaign in the last few months falls within this trend."

On Wednesday, influential U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter said during a visit to Jerusalem that he was upset by the smuggling, and revived a proposal by Congress to cut aid if the issue was not addressed. The U.S. gives Egypt about $2 billion a year in aid, mostly for its military.