Egypt court voids decision to cede Red Sea islands to Saudis

An Egyptian court yesterday overturned the government’s agreement with Saudi Arabia to redraw the countries’ maritime border, which sparked an uproar for ceding control over two Red Sea islands to the oil-rich kingdom. The government said it would appeal.
The decision in April to cede the islands of Tiran and Sanafir triggered the biggest protest against President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi since he was elected in 2014, with critics accusing him of giving up land in return for Saudi aid. The agreement was announced at the end of a state visit by King Salman, who also pledged billions of dollars in assistance and investments to support the most populous Arab country.
“The islands are Egyptian, and the signing of the pact is nullified,” said Khaled Ali, a former presidential candidate and one of the lawyers who filed the case. The government will take the necessary steps to appeal, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Magdy El-Agaty was quoted as saying by the state-run Middle East News Agency.
The accord was also subject to parliamentary approval. Bahaa Abou Shakka, the head of the parliament’s legislative committee, said lawmakers will examine the ruling, along with other documents, before they make a decision on the pact, state-run media reported.
In court, Judge Yehia El-Dakroury ruled “to halt the execution of the border demarcation agreement” and for the two islands to remain under Egyptian sovereignty. A summary of yesterday’s court ruling published by local media didn’t explain the reasoning behind the verdict. Bloomberg