Egyptian who ruled in favor of ceding key islands to Saudi Arabia voted parliament speaker
Egypt’s parliament elected Hanafy Ali el-Gebaly as its new speaker, raising controversy as Gebaly chaired the Supreme Constitutional Court that validated an agreement under which Egypt agreed to transfer the strategic Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia.
CAIRO — Judge Hanafy Ali el-Gebaly, who validated a controversial 2016 agreement handing two islands to Saudi Arabia, was elected speaker of the House of Representatives of the new Egyptian parliament Jan. 12.
Gebaly, the former head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, had won an independent seat in October's parliamentary elections. The Nation's Future Party, known for its support of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and which holds holds 55% of the seats in the parliament, provided Gebaly the backing he needed to assume the post.
This raised the ire of opposition politicians inside and outside Egypt because Gebaly was one of the judges who had approved a maritime border agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia under which Cairo agreed to cede the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to the kingdom.
In April 2016, Sisi signed an agreement to transfer ownership of Tiran and Sanafir. Despite a wave of objections and protests against the decision, the Egyptian government went ahead with it.
