What's Happening with Tiran and Sanafir? And What's Next After the Court's Ruling to Nullify the Agreement?
If you're unsure about what's happening with the Tiran and Sanafir issue, or if you don't understand the implications of today's court ruling that nullified the agreement, let's break it down simply:
The Beginning:
On April 8, 2016, the situation suddenly arose when President Sisi and King Salman signed an agreement acknowledging that the islands of Tiran and Sanafir belong to Saudi Arabia.
On April 13, 2016, Sisi addressed the press, saying, "I don't want anyone to talk about the issue of Tiran and Sanafir again," after social media erupted in protest against the agreement.
On April 15, 2016, most of the Egyptian opposition forces and a large number of human rights activists organized protests across Egypt against the agreement under the slogan "The land is honor." The largest gathering was in front of the Journalists' Syndicate, where lawyer Khaled Ali urged people to avoid sit-ins, warning of potential consequences. During the day, at least 100 people were arrested; some were released, while others received sentences or fines.
Legal Actions:
On May 28, 2016, the First Circuit of the State Council, chaired by Judge Mohamed El-Demerdash, reviewed 14 lawsuits demanding the annulment of the agreement. These lawsuits were directed against the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Evidence and Documents:
In the first session, lawyer Khaled Ali presented an extensive collection of documents and evidence proving that the islands are Egyptian, including:
Maps from the 19th century show that the islands were not part of Saudi territory.
Official books and maps from the Egyptian Ministry of Finance dating back to 1945.
Official atlases taught in Egyptian schools up until 2015 confirm the islands' Egyptian status.
Defending the Agreement:
The government's representative tried to defend the agreement by claiming that the matter was about sovereignty and that the court had no right to intervene. He also argued that the agreement had economic benefits and cooperation between the two countries.
Course of the Case:
During several sessions, the case was postponed due to the government's failure to present the required documents. Finally, today, the Administrative Court, chaired by Judge Yehia Dakrory, ruled to nullify the border demarcation agreement concerning the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, affirming that the islands are Egyptian.
The Current Crisis:
The primary issue now is that this ruling can be appealed. But who will appeal the verdict? The entities involved in the lawsuit (the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House of Representatives) could potentially appeal the Egyptian court's ruling to prove that the land belongs to Saudi Arabia! This means that Egyptian officials might try to establish Saudi ownership of the islands without interference from Saudi Arabia, which will simply stand by as a spectator.
Conclusion:
This is an unprecedented situation in history: a country's leader opposing a judicial ruling from his own country to grant his nation's land to another country!