Egyptian Court Postpones Hearing on 2 Red Sea Islands Transfer to Saudi Arabia

Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court has postponed the hearing on a government appeal against a previous court decision on blocking an agreement to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, local media reported.

CAIRO (Sputnik) – This is not the first time the court has adjourned the hearing, the Ahram Online media outlet reported on Saturday.

Last month, the Egyptian State Council judicial body judged that the agreement on maritime borders between Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed in April as invalid. The Egyptian government appealed the court’s decision arguing that the State Council has no powers to issue verdicts on the case.

If the court decision is overturned, the Egyptian-Saudi agreement has yet to be ratified by the Egyptian parliament. The Saudi side has ratified the agreement.

In April, the agreement between Cairo and Riyadh on the islands of Tiran and Sanafir at the southern entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba triggered a week of mass rallies on the streets in central Cairo.

Egypt has been in control of Tiran and Sanafir for over 60 years. The islands could be potentially used for constructing a bridge across the Red Sea, announced on April 8 by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.