Egypt has agreed to hand over two uninhabited but strategically placed islands to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The islands of Sanafir and Tiran were given to Egypt by the Saudis in 1950 out of fear that Israel might seize them. Israel captured the islands in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, but returned it to Egypt after the two nations signed a peace treaty in 1979. The islands are less than five miles between the coastlines of both Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and just south of Israel.
Now, the government of Egypt has announced that they will be giving them back to Saudi Arabia. The announcement was not well received by some Egyptian citizens. At least five were arrested in demonstrations in Cairo following the decision.
The move is seen by some analysts as a concession by Egypt aimed at easing tensions between the two countries. Saudi Arabia has expressed anger recently over Egypt’s reluctance to follow the kingdom's aggressive military policies in Yemen and Syria.
The agreement to hand over the islands has been in the works since 2010 and includes a deal to build a bridge across the Red Sea to connect the two countries.
The deal must be ratified by the Egyptian parliament.