Another Egypt parliament committee approves Red Sea island deal by landslide

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

The Defence and National Security committee approved the agreement by landslide after all members voted in favour except for one, said Mohamed Kassab, a member in the committee.

The committee referred the deal to the current general assembly for a final vote.

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.