Score one for the Obama administration. Egypt has agreed to lift the travel ban on seven Americans charged with a variety of trumped up offenses for promoting democracy. That prevents their being convicted in a show trial and allows them to leave the country. Thus, the administration has avoided an Egyptian hostage crisis.
Unfortunately, there is no indication that the Egyptian government is dropping its case against the many Egyptian co-defendants. The U.S. must continue to exert its muscle to protect those civil society activists from retribution for their admirable activities.
Keep an ear closely cocked to the White House quietly announcing an increase in various forms of aid to Egypt over and above the current level of funding Obama feigned was at risk, which it never was.
Keep an ear closely cocked to the White House's slow and quiet announcement of an increase in aid to Egypt over and above current aid levels. This is after all what this was entirely about.
Maybe Trudy is right. The Egyptians were in fact blackmailing Uncle Sam. Some in Congress were threatening to reduce or cut off foreign aid to Egypt on account of the arrests. Then some Muslim brotherhood spokesmen threatened war on Israel & other retaliations if the aid were reduced. It may be that the MB thinks that non-Muslims must pay jizya.
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2012/03/world-trade-center-bombing-planner-to.html
Reports that Citing an al-Arabiya report in Arabic, Robert Spencer reports that the United States has offered to trade Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman, who is imprisoned in the United States for a conviction stemming from the first (1993) World Trade Center bombing, along with 49 other Egyptians being held in American prisons, for the 19 Americans currently being held in Egypt on charges of promoting democracy.