Tuesday 12 April 2016

Red Sea Islands: Saudi-Egyptian Approval to ’Israeli’ Conditions, Bin Salman Committed to Camp David Terms


Over his Twitter account, Mujtahidd, the famous Saudi Twitter user, revealed that the Zionist entity has set conditions to allow the construction of a bridge connecting Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Red Sea Islands: Saudi-Egyptian Approval to "Israeli" Conditions, Bin Salman Committed to Camp David Terms

Mujtahidd said that the Saudi-Egypt Bridge is an old project which has not been implemented due to "Israel's" stipulation to monitor all stages of construction and to participate in its administration, adding that "what is new is that Saudi Arabia and Egypt have both agreed to those conditions."

King Salman bin Abdul Aziz had announced from Egypt last Friday, the establishment of a bridge over the Red Sea linking Saudi Arabia and Egypt; as director of the Arab Contractors company, Mohsen Salah, said yesterday that the establishment of the bridge will take three years at most.

In a related context, the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram revealed the Egyptian government informed the "Israeli" apartheid regime of the developments regarding the redrawing of the maritime border, which included Egypt's ceding of sovereignty over the Red Sea islands of Sanafir and Tiran to the Saudis, and the influence it may have on Egypt and "Israel's" 1979's Camp David treaty.

According to the report, Egypt updated "Israel" on new understandings reached between the Saudi defense minister and Egyptian prime minister who signed an agreement which, if approved by Egypt's parliament, will obligate Riyadh to honor all of Egypt's commitments in its treaty with 
"Israel", including the presence of the international peacekeeping force on the islands of Sanafir and Tiran, and freedom of maritime movement in the Gulf of Aqaba.

Al-Ahram's political analyst reported that if the "Israeli" entity agreed to the new border agreement between Egypt and the Saudis, the regime will have to get approval from the Knesset to change the treaty.

Further, the report stated that the "Israeli" entity did not express any opposition to the islands coming under Saudi sovereignty, and requested that the change be made in accordance with the law.

The return of the two islands to the Saudis caused ado on Egyptian social media, which included hashtags such as "#Egypt_is_not_for_sale."

Nonetheless, Egyptians from ordinary citizens and activists to former officials and politicians lined up to vent their anger at President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's decision to hand over two islands to Saudi Arabia.

The surprise announcement generated angry protests from Egyptians who had considered the islands to be their land for decades.

Activists said al-Sisi is selling Egyptian territory with a humiliating concession to a wealthy ally.

"Roll up, roll up, the island is for a billion, the pyramid for two, and a couple of statues thrown in for free," well-known satirist Bassem Youssef wrote in a tweet as he mocked the concession.
Critics flooded social media with their biting posts, calling al-Sisi "Awaad," referring to a character in an old Egyptian song who had sold his land - a shameful act in the eyes of Egyptians.

Others said the agreement violates the Egyptian constitution, arguing that al-Sisi has lost legitimacy by ceding the islands.

Former officials and politicians also condemned the decision.

Former head of Egypt's Military Operations Authority, Abdel Munem Said, said Tiran and Sanafir belong to Egypt. He urged the parliament, which must ratify the agreement, not to endorse it.

Morsi also criticized the move in an interview with al-Jazeera, saying he "refuses to hand over even one grain of sand of Egypt's land."

A protest was held in the capital Cairo on Sunday against the decision. Security forces arrested five activists during the protest.

Lawyer Khalid Ali filed a lawsuit challenging the agreement, stressing that the islands are Egyptian.
Moreover, Prominent Palestinian journalist Abdul Bari Atwan said in the Rai al-Youm newspaper that Saudi Arabia follows an expansionist policy and aims to capture territory in neighboring countries.

He attributed the agreement with Egypt to the country's military and economic weakness. Egypt is giving the two islands away in exchange for a USD 20-billion aid from Saudi Arabia, he said.

The decision, he said, was prompted by Cairo facing a USD 43-billion budget deficit, a sharp increase in its foreign debts, a high unemployment rate, a decline in the exchange rate of the Egyptian pound, and a security crisis in Sinai Peninsula, among other things.

Atwan said he expected the parliament to ratify the deal as the majority of its members are al-Sisi supporters but the agreement may be annulled if it comes under immense pressure from the people.

Source: al-Ahed News, Translated and Edited by website team
11-04-2016 | 15:49

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

No comments: