Egypt parliamentary committee oks transfer of Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia

An Egyptian parliamentary committee on Tuesday approved the country’s a border-demarcation deal with Saudi Arabia, according to which the strategic islands of Tiran and Sanafir were identified as being under Saudi control.

The constitutional and legal affairs committee approved the agreement after 34 members voted in favour and 8 against, referring it to a general session.

In April 2016, the Egyptian government signed a border-demarcation deal with Saudi Arabia, according to which the strategic islands of Tiran and Sanafir were identified as being under Saudi control. The Egyptian government claimed that the islands had always been Saudi territory, despite Egyptian guardianship.

The agreement sparked vocal opposition in Egypt and has been the subject of ongoing legal battles, with courts issuing conflicting rulings amid disputes over which court has jurisdiction in the case.