Friction Likely as Egypt Ratifies Red Sea Islands Deal
Local Editor
In defiance of a court ruling, Egypt's Parliament voted Wednesday to ratify a disputed 2016 agreement that would sell two strategic Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.
The vote, in which lawmakers in favor were asked to stand up, came shortly after the 596-seat chamber opened a debate on the pact earlier in the day. The outcome was a foregone conclusion since the legislature is packed with supporters of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, whose government signed the deal when Saudi King Salman visited last year.
The vote and the uncustomary speed with which the House processed the agreement are likely to spark protests by Egyptians opposed to the deal, as well as lead to potentially destabilizing legal battles between the legislative branch of government and the judiciary after a court ruled against the islands transfer in January.
MPs who back the deal insisted only Parliament has the right to ratify any international pact.
"The ruling by the highest administrative court annulling the agreement makes Parliament's discussion and ratification of the agreement invalid," said Raafat Fouda, a constitutional law professor at Cairo University.
Police and opponents of the deal clashed late Tuesday in downtown Cairo, with policemen kicking, punching and using sticks to beat several dozen protesters outside the national journalists' union. An unspecified number of arrests were made and eight protesters remained in police custody Wednesday, according to defense lawyers.
After the agreement was first announced in 2016, Egypt saw the largest anti-government protests since Sisi took office in 2014. Hundreds of protesters were arrested.
"Ratifying the agreement in this manner will create a deep rift between the president and a large segment of society," said Khaled Dawoud, leader of the opposition Dostour [Constitution] party. "It is a turning point in our relationship with the president."
Earlier Wednesday, the House's defense and national security committee approved the deal with a 35-2 vote, becoming the second such body to do so in as many days.
The legislative and constitutional committee approved the deal Tuesday after a three-day, raucous review during which MPs got into heated arguments, pushed and shoved each other and came close to blows.
The government claims the islands of Tiran and Sanafir at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba were always Saudi but were placed under Egypt's protection amid Arab-Israeli tensions in the '50s.
However, critics linked the islands transfer to the billions of dollars in Saudi aid given to Sisi's government, saying it amounts to a sell-off of sovereign territory.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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