Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court annulled on Wednesday a previous
ruling that blocked the treaty handing two Red Sea islands to Saudi
Arabia.
The
verdict gives way to a controversial maritime demarcation deal between
Cairo and Riyadh, where the ownership of the strategic islands of Tiran
and Sanafir is transferred from Egypt to the monarchy.
The
constitutional court ruled that the administrative court has no
jurisdiction over the matter, rather that lies with parliament.
Parliament approved the agreement in a vote last week.
The
signing of the agreement in April 2016 triggered a series of protests
rarely seen in Egypt since the presidential election in 2014.
In
January, the Supreme Administrative court upheld a lower court ruling
banning the handover, arguing that the two unpopulated islands are
Egyptian territory.
Wednesday's verdict also included
annulling a ruling by an urgent matters court that had suspended the
administrative court's decision.
