Court rules for Riyadh on isles

CAIRO // An Egyptian appeals court yesterday upheld an agreement to give control of two islands in the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia, providing a boost for the government in a case that has prompted rare street protests.

The territorial deal, announced in April, angered many Egyptians who said the uninhabited islands of Tiran and Sanafir belonged to their country.

Last week, the Egyptian government approved the deal to hand over the islands and sent it to parliament for ratification, despite the legal dispute over the plan.

Yesterday, the appeals court in Cairo upheld a verdict by a lower court that annulled a ruling by the administrative court, which had said the agreement to hand over the islands was void, sources said.

The administrative court had said the agreement breached Egypt’s constitution, which prohibits giving away any part of Egyptian territory to another country.

A more senior tribunal, the higher administrative court, is due to issue a verdict on January 16. The case has become a source of tension with Saudi Arabia, which has provided billions of dollars of aid to Egypt but recently halted fuel shipments amid deteriorating relations.

Tiran and Sanafir are in the narrow entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba leading to Jordan and Israel.

Saudi and Egyptian officials say the islands belong to Saudi Arabia.