CAIRO (Dispatches) – The Egyptian government is apparently delaying the implementation of a controversial treaty that transfers two largely uninhabited islands to Saudi Arabia, and paved the way for the Riyadh regime to take steps toward normalizing relations with the Zionist regime.
The deal, to hand over the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir, was agreed during a visit to Egypt by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in April 2016. It was backed by Egypt’s parliament in June 2017.
As part of the agreement, the U.S.-led multinational force of observers that have been present on Tiran for years are required to leave the islands by the end of December.
It sparked rare protests in Egypt, with President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi being accused of “selling” the islands in return for Saudi financial aid.
Senior Zionist officials told American news website Axios that Cairo has been raising reservations, mostly of a technical nature, over the past few weeks.
Among the sticking points is the installation of cameras on the islands that were part of the agreement. The cameras are supposed to monitor activity on Tiran and Sanafir, as well as in the Strait of Tiran.
Zionist officials said the withdrawal of the multinational force from the islands won’t be implemented by the end of December due to Egyptian reservations.
The officials told Axios they believe the Egyptian government is holding up the deal due to U.S.-Egypt bilateral issues, including American military assistance.
Last week, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Sisi who was in Washington for the U.S.-Africa summit.
According to U.S. and Zionist regime sources, Sullivan raised the issue of the Red Sea islands deal during a bilateral meeting, and stressed that the Biden administration wants it implemented.
When Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, visited Cairo last October, Egyptian officials told her they expect the administration to transfer the full amount of military assistance if it really sees relations as strategic.
Back on July 14, Axios reported that the Zionist regime had approved the provisions of an agreement on the strategic islands of Tiran and Sanafir in the Red Sea, which prepared the ground for the official normalization of ties between Saudi Arabia and the Tel Aviv regime.
The report added that Washington had been “quietly negotiating” the deal between the two sides for months.