Egypt’s constitutional court halts all verdicts on islands transfer deal with Saudi Arabia

Egypt’s top constitutional court has ruled to suspend all verdicts on an islands transfer deal with Saudi Arabia until it makes a decision on the constitutionality of the agreement, state media said Wednesday.

The ruling came a week after Egypt’s parliament backed plans to hand over two uninhabited Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia under an accord that has attracted widespread public criticism.

Parliamentary leaders and government lawyers say the House of Representatives is the only entity allowed to rule on matters of sovereignty, but it has been opposed by one court. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi must still ratify the agreement.

Source: Reuters