Egypt’s State Council Administrative Court challenged to rule on the government’s decision to hand over the two Red Sea Islands to Saudi Arabia under the April controversial agreement Tuesday set up June 21 for its verdict, reports say.
President Al Sisi’s cabinet decision to surrender the Tiran and Sanafir Islands to Saudi Arabia in April stirred condemnations across the whole country. Thousands of Egyptians took to the streets on April 15 and 27 to protest the decision.
Egyptian legal experts and public figures including former presidential candidate Khaled Ali filed a lawsuit against the government.
Cairo and Riyadh on April 8, part of a multi-billion dollar agreement, secretly agreed the transfer of the Islands. Egyptians say the islands belong to their country.
President al-Sisi denied relinquishing the strategic islands saying that Saudi Arabia gave them to Egypt for protection to prevent Israel from seizing them in the 50s.
The State Council Administrative Court has been reportedly granted the right to examine all documents provided by the two litigants, including the agreement signed between the two nations in April, local Egypt Independent reports.
