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| Egyptian court quashes deal to transfer Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia | Egyptian court quashes deal to transfer Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An Egyptian court has declared void a maritime border accord with Saudi Arabia that would have seen Egypt lose control of two Red Sea islands, judicial sources said. | An Egyptian court has declared void a maritime border accord with Saudi Arabia that would have seen Egypt lose control of two Red Sea islands, judicial sources said. |
| The state has the right to appeal against the ruling at a higher court, and the accord must also be approved by parliament. | |
| Related: Egypt's president under fire over Red Sea islands transfer to Saudi Arabia | |
| The agreement, which was announced in April during a visit to Cairo by the Saudi king, had caused uproar and protests in Egypt where many say they were taught at school that the Tiran and Sanafir islands were Egyptian. | The agreement, which was announced in April during a visit to Cairo by the Saudi king, had caused uproar and protests in Egypt where many say they were taught at school that the Tiran and Sanafir islands were Egyptian. |
| The ruling is a setback for Egypt’s president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, who had asked Egyptians in a speech to end the controversy over the islands deal. | The ruling is a setback for Egypt’s president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, who had asked Egyptians in a speech to end the controversy over the islands deal. |
| Tiran and Sanafir lie between Saudi Arabia and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, at the narrow entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba leading to Jordan and Israel. Saudi and Egyptian officials say they belong to Saudi Arabia and were only under Egyptian control because the kingdom asked Egypt to protect them in 1950. | Tiran and Sanafir lie between Saudi Arabia and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, at the narrow entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba leading to Jordan and Israel. Saudi and Egyptian officials say they belong to Saudi Arabia and were only under Egyptian control because the kingdom asked Egypt to protect them in 1950. |
| Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Gulf Arab states showered Egypt with billions of dollars in aid after Sisi toppled Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, following mass protests against his rule. | Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Gulf Arab states showered Egypt with billions of dollars in aid after Sisi toppled Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, following mass protests against his rule. |
| But a sharp drop in oil prices and differences over foreign policy issues such as the war in Yemen have raised questions over whether strong Gulf Arab support can be sustained. | But a sharp drop in oil prices and differences over foreign policy issues such as the war in Yemen have raised questions over whether strong Gulf Arab support can be sustained. |
| Egyptians are eager for an economic revival after years of political upheaval. But the islands issue hurt national pride, prompting thousands of protesters to take to the streets calling for the “fall of the regime”, a slogan associated with the 2011 Arab spring uprisings. | Egyptians are eager for an economic revival after years of political upheaval. But the islands issue hurt national pride, prompting thousands of protesters to take to the streets calling for the “fall of the regime”, a slogan associated with the 2011 Arab spring uprisings. |
| More than 200 people were arrested in connection with protests over the islands. Many have since been freed. | More than 200 people were arrested in connection with protests over the islands. Many have since been freed. |