Cairo - The parliament approved the controversial maritime border demarcation deal that places the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir in Saudi Arabia's territorial waters. In a general session on Wednesday, the parliament approved the deal with a majority vote.
The vote came after the legislative and constitutional affairs committee and the national security and defence committee approved the deal on Tuesday and Wednesday. The border demarcation deal, which places the two Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir in Saudi territory, was signed during a visit by Saudi King Salman bin Abdel-Aziz to Cairo in April 2016. The deal has faced a number of legal challenges since it was announced, including disputes over which courts have jurisdiction to rule on such international deals. In January 2017, the High Administrative Court ruled that the deal was null and void. In April, however, the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters ruled that administrative courts have no jurisdiction over issues relating to national borders.