"Egypt consulted Israel in Islands transfer"

New revelations show Egypt sought support of Israel before moving to sign an agreement with Saudi Arabia for transfer of two Red Sea islands to the kingdom.


Egyptian opposition sources have leaked a recording of a phone discussion on the subject by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and one of Israeli premier’s closest aides, Yitzhak Molocho. During their conversation, Shoukry seeks the formal consent of Israel for the final agreement before Cairo can go ahead with it. They even discussed the wording of the accord. This is the first time Tel Aviv’s involvement in the hugely controversial agreement is revealed. On January 16, the Egyptian high court supported a lower court decision to block the transfer of Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia. The ruling came after mass protests and calls for prosecution of Egypt’s president for treason over the transfer deal.