The withholding of some US financial aid to Egypt “amounts to a ‘very light slap on the wrist’ that is expected to have ‘no effect at all’ on Egyptian human-rights practices,” Carnegie Endowment scholar Sarah Yerkes tells JPost. She adds: “The Sisi regime knows they’re a big country, an important country in the region, that they have an important role to play in the peace process which is a priority for the administration. It’s clear they need Egypt on their side if they want to get anywhere with the Israeli-Palestinian process.” Yerkes does not see the US taking any further steps against Egypt. She says cutting the aid was a not a “moral” move from the US, but rather a signs of displeasure with Egypt for not sticking to reported assurances made by Egyptian officials “that they would make changes to the law before it was signed,” coupled with a signal to Cairo to distance itself from North Korea.