Egypt's legislature thumbs nose at court, approves islands deal
Egypt’s parliament shoved through approval of a deal to transfer Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia, but experts say the move violates the constitution and is likely to fuel public resentment.
CAIRO — Egypt's parliament quickly gave its blessing to a controversial maritime demarcation agreement under which Egypt is to transfer sovereignty over the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia. But some parliamentarians, legal experts and citizens are saying, “Not so fast.”
One legislator resigned from parliament in protest, and a political science expert predicts that consummating the turnover would cause the political system to buckle. Police arrested eight people, including three journalists, from among dozens of people at a demonstration the night before the vote.
In April 2016, Egypt and Saudi Arabia had signed a bilateral agreement to turn over the islands. On Jan. 16, the Supreme Administrative Court nullified the agreement. But in a plenary session June 14, parliamentary speaker Ali Abdel Aal announced the transfer's approval, flouting all judicial rulings against the agreement concerning the uninhabited but strategically located Red Sea islands.
The dispute over the islands has continued all this time, yet it took parliament less than four days to "settle" the disagreement, holding five sessions of the relevant parliamentary committees. The first session was held June 11 and headed by Abdel Aal, who did not allow parliament members to take the floor to discuss the matter. He insisted on a vote by a show of hands, disregarding parliament bylaws requiring a roll call.
