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Egyptian Hostage Crisis
(Tablet) Lee Smith - On Monday, the Egyptian government announced that 19 Americans working with pro-democracy nonprofit organizations, under investigation for trumped-up charges of operating without proper registration, would actually stand trial. This is simple extortion - and the Egyptian government expects to be paid. While a December Gallup poll showed that 71% of Egyptians oppose U.S. economic aid, the Egyptian army is so desperate for American money that it wants more of it, which is why it is going to put 19 Americans on trial. The choice before our policymakers is whether or not to fund an army that is ruling a state hostile to our national interests, where domestic dynamics may drive it to war with Israel. The writer is a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.