In 2017, the Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Egyptian President signed an agreement that angered thousands of Egyptians, if not millions, transferring two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. Today, the US visits this issue again, with plans reported to seal the deal and finalize the transfer in a few weeks.
A report by Axios has shed light on plans made by the Biden administration for the US President's upcoming tour in the Middle East, scheduled to start in Israel next month.
According to the report, Joe Biden will be convening with senior officials from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, to mediate the final steps of transferring the two islands, often described as strategic, to Saudi sovereignty.
The two islands, Tiran and Sanafir, are located within the Straits of Tiran, which is a significant sea passage to the Aqaba Gulf that leads the way to many coastal cities in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
At the time of the 2016 announcement, Egypt's government had justified the deal by saying that both islands were Saudi all the way and that they were under Egyptian administration for the past several decades, as to calm down the public which was ignited with mass protests over the two islands.
Several Egyptian leading voices cited the inclusion of both islands in the peace treaty signed between Israel and Egypt in 1979 as evidence of it being Egyptian land. Yet, a crackdown against activists and politicians eventually ended protests during the same year.
Yet, news of a US mediation to finalize the deal between Saudi Arabia and Egypt has sparked several questions about the Biden administration's motives, especially among tense ties between them and the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
#Biden admin: what can look like a concession frm MBS in exchange 4 politically rehabilitating him? What can we sell to Congress &media?
— Yasmine Farouk ياسمين فاروق (@YasFarouk) May 24, 2022
Also #Biden admin: Put #SaudiArabia & #Israel in 1 sentence
That being said, #Tiran #Sanafir ALSO #Neom r all highly strategic 4 all parties https://t.co/2ru9NndgUV
According to analysts, the Tiran and Sanafir transfer ahead of NEOM's partial operation, which is planned to start next week with the opening of its international airport next week might be paving the way for improving the relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia.
It can also help the Biden administration make a historic breakthrough by warming ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and possibly getting the Saudis to normalize relations with Israel, an effort the previous US administration failed to achieve, despite its success in bringing the Abraham Accords to the light in 2020.
The parties are now looking at ways of resolving the issue of the Tiran and Sanafir islands, which sit in between #Egypt and #SaudiArabia, but control entry to the Gulf of #Aqaba - a vital strategic channel for #Israel, leading to the port city of #Eilat. https://t.co/FZZLXTASWz
— Raul Pintilie ? (@RaulPintilie) May 24, 2022
Despite Saudi welcoming the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab countries, its government continued to refuse to join normalization before a two-state solution is agreed on between Palestinians and the Israelis.
Yet, the Tiran and Sanafir transfer to Saudi Arabia will require consistent communication between its government and the Israelis, which will facilitate normalization between both countries and make it more justifiable in the conservative kingdom.
