Egyptians fume over plan to hand Red Sea islands to Saudis

Egypt’s decision to relinquish control over two Red Sea islands and hand ownership to Saudi Arabia has drawn flak from Egyptians across the world, with many taking to social media to register their protests.

In a cabinet statement on April 9, Egypt announced that the decision came after 11 rounds of negotiations over a six-year period that showed that the islands of Sanafir and Tiran lie “within the territorial waters of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

The decision will now be presented to parliament for final approval.

Egyptians, however, were not convinced by the government statement and many questioned the legality of the decision.

The hashtag #Egyptissold went viral on Sunday and local media reported tweets of images from school geography textbooks as proof that the islands belonged to Egypt. Egyptian journalists and public figures tweeted their thoughts against the decision.

"Come, Come, the island is for a billion, the pyramid for two, and a couple of statues thrown in for free," well-known satirist Bassem Youssef mocked the deal in a tweet, suggesting that Egypt's president Abdelfattah al-Sisi was selling the islands to the highest bidder in an auction.

Protesters reportedly took to streets in Egypt, with local daily Al-Ahram reporting that at least five people were arrested on Monday and later released.

Senior officers of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party are reported to be collecting signatures from citizens, to reject the deal.

“The two Red Sea islands have been part of Egypt's regional waters since 1800, or one year after French leader Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt,” Al Ahram newspaper reported, citing an official statement from the political party.

The statement also said that the constitution states that all international agreements related to "sovereignty issues" must be put to a public referendum.