The Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday that Israel had agreed to new security arrangements that would allow Egypt to cede control of the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia.
The newspaper wrote that Israel agreed to deploy multinational forces on the island several kilometers inside Egypt.
There is currently a multinational force stationed on the Tiran and Sanafir islands, which is tasked with patrolling and ensuring the continued freedom of navigation in the region.
“Saudi Arabia does not want these forces to remain after taking control of the two islands,” the newspaper said.
On the other hand, the newspaper reports that Saudi Arabia will allow Israeli airlines to fly over its airspace.
Currently, only Israeli flights to the UAE and Bahrain can fly over Saudi Arabia, in addition to Air India flights to and from Israel.
The news comes amid revelations that the United States is working to strengthen cooperation between its allies in the region, particularly Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The US website Axius reported last month that the administration of US President Joe Biden is “quietly” mediating talks between Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt, which, if successful, could be the first Take a step towards normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and Israel
He added: “The issue is related to the completion of the transfer of the strategic islands of Tiran and Sanafir in the Red Sea from the rule of Egypt to the rule of Saudi Arabia with the consent of Israel.”
According to Axius, the White House wants to reach an agreement that may include Saudi Arabia and a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before Biden’s next trip to the Middle East at the end of June.
The islands of Tiran and Sanafir are located at the entrance to the Strait of Tiran, a strategic crossing near the port of Aqaba in Jordan, and Eilat in Israel.
In June 2017, the Egyptian parliament and the Supreme Court in March 2018 approved the transfer of sovereignty of the two islands to the kingdom. The Egyptian government announced at the time that the two islands were originally Saudi Arabia, but that Egypt “leased” them in the 1950s.
According to the terms of the peace treaty signed with Egypt, the conclusion of a new agreement on them requires the approval of Israel.
Source: Lebanon Debate
