The Supreme Administrative Court said on Saturday that a final ruling on halting the sale of Egyptian gas to Israel would be issued on February 27. "The ruling on the gas-to-Israel case will be issued on February 23. However, the Ministry of Petroleum is asked to forward all official documents related to the dealings with the Jewish state to the court before this time," chief judge Mohamed el-Husseini said. He added that the court would not use press reports as evidence in this case. A group of Egyptian activists, spearheaded by former diplomat Ibrahim Youssri, filed the suit against the sale of Egyptian gas to Israel at low prices, arguing that the deal had not been endorsed by the Egyptian Parliament. "Egyptian gas should be directed to the benefits of Egyptians not to their enemies," Youssri said yesterday. The Supreme Administrative Court overturned an interim injunction issued by a lower court last November, which ordered the suspension of the gas supply. However, the ruling was never implemented. There has been widespread opposition in Egypt to the export of gas from Egypt to Israel, because of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. Many take issue with Israel's continuing blockade of the Gaza Strip, where food and fuel supplies have been severely restricted. Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel - the 1979 Camp David accords - but relations between the two countries have remained strained over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as other regional issues.
