Egyptian President Steers Clear of Red Sea Island Row Amid Popular Backlash

Egypt’s President Adel Fattah Sisi refused Wednesday to step into the dispute that flared up in the country over the transfer of two Red Sea islands to the Saudis, Arab media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The president said he had done his part and was going to see the parliamentary and judiciary processes through as the legal battle around the contentious handover of Tiran and Sanafir, two rocky islets of strategic importance, shows no sign of abating.

"From the start, we told our [Saudi] brothers that we will go through procedures, but that we will not interfere with the technical side and that the ratification will be done according to legal and constitutional rules," Sisi said, as quoted by The New Arab outlet.

The Egyptian and Saudi governments signed the transfer deal in April 2016, prompting protests and accusations against President Sisi that he had sold Egyptian land. The government argued the islands were only leased to Cairo and fell within Saudi territorial waters.

An administrative court ruled against the transfer last June. The judgment was upheld by Egypt’s top administrative court in January but was overturned by the Court of Urgent Matters earlier this month. The final decision needs to be approved by the parliament.