In April 2016, Sisi signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia on the demarcation of maritime borders, handing control over the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir under Riyadh's jurisdiction. The decision fueled public opposition, causing numerous lawsuits in national courts to dispute its validity. Earlier in June, the agreement received official approval from the Egyptian parliament.
Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court later temporarily suspended the execution of all previous judicial rulings regarding the transfer the islands.
Forty-seven percent of Egyptians consider the islands located in the strategic part of the Red Sea bordered by Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as Egyptian, the poll of the independent Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research cited by the same news outlet showed Tuesday. According to the survey data, only 11 percent believe that the islands are Saudi.
