© Middle East EyeTiran and Sanafir Red Sea islands
A court in Egypt has
overruled the government hand-over to Saudi Arabia of disputed islands in the Red Sea. The border change was part of short-lived thaw in relations between the Gulf monarchy and troubled Arab powerhouse Egypt.
© Google Maps
are located at the southern entry to the Gulf of Aqaba, the eastern stretch of the Red Sea separating the Sinai Peninsula from Saudi Arabia and Jordan. They are of
strategic importance for Israel and Jordan, which both have major ports in the gulf. When Egypt blockaded the waterway in 1967, it served as casus belli for Israel to launch first strikes in the Six-Day War.
In April last year, Saudi King Salman made a surprise visit to Egypt. His meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi culminated in the
announcement of a deal under which the two islands, which have been
administrated by Egypt since the 1950s, would be
transferred to Saudi Arabia as part of a maritime border demarcation. The kingdom has been claiming sovereignty over the islands for decades.
In exchange,
Riyadh promised lucrative aid and investment deals, including the revival of a multibillion-dollar project to construct a bridge between the two nations running through Tiran. The
cash injection was badly needed by Egypt's economy which suffered amid the chaos brought by the ousting of its government in 2011 and the brief, but turbulent, rule of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi, who was deposed in a military coup in 2013.
The deal however prompted protests in Egypt, where opponents saw it as
a land sell and a violation by top government officials of the oath to preserve the territorial integrity of the country. Two leading lawyers challenged the legality of the accord, ensuing in a lengthy court battle. On Monday,
Egypt's Higher Administrative Court, a powerful judicial body which deals with cases involving the government and public entities, ruled on a final appeal,
striking down the agreement. "It's enshrined in the court's conscience that Egypt's sovereignty over Tiran and Sanafir is beyond doubt," presiding Judge Yahya al-Dakrouri said, as cited by AP.
Comment: The KSA and Egypt delineated their sea border for the first time in 2010 and spent the next five years jockeying claims of ownership of the two uninhabited islands. The 'no deal' decision will assuredly increase tensions for Egypt, especially if the status quo of the US and Israel backing SA remains in play and Egypt moves closer to Russia.
See also: A new deal? Egypt to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia