Egypt had ceded its sovereignty over the two islands, Tiran and Sanafir in a Saudi-Egyptian deal on Red Sea Islands. The two countries reached an agreement on the disputed maritime borders that now handed down the Red Sea Islands to Saudi's control. However, the opposition and legal experts in Egypt question the legitimacy of the deal, claiming Egypt President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi sold the islands to Saudi King Salman Bin Abdel Aziz for a fistful of dollars.
According to Ynet News, the Saudi-Egyptian deal on Red Sea Islands comes after Saudi King Salman visited Cairo. During the visit, he also announced an investment for Egypt and plans for Saudi aid. As reported by Egyptian newspaper Al-Youm Al-Sabaa via Ynet News, the meeting was one of the several meetings the two had in the past six years concerning the issue of the maritime boundaries. Egyptian opposition, the Muslim brotherhood and legal experts, however, questioned the legitimacy of the deal.
In 2010, Egypt and Saudi Arabia began negotiating on their maritime borders. Meanwhile. BBC reported that Sisi received online backlash on the recent Saudi-Egyptian deal on Red Sea Islands. Sisi was mocked in various social media attacking his decision to give up the islands to Saudi. People claimed that it was a contravention of the constitution.
An announcement from the Egypt cabinet said that the Saudi-Egyptian deal on Red Sea Islands enables both the nations to benefit from the economic zone for each. During the announcement of the Egyptian official, a plan for many investments, including setting up an industrial zone for Egypt was announced.
