Reports in Egypt: Saudi agreement requires Israeli cooperation
Following Egypt’s decision to relinquish control of two strategic islands to the Saudis, reports have surfaced claiming that the implementation of the deal may require changes to the Egypt-Israel peace accords, which would necessitate approval from the Knesset.
According to the reports, Cairo updated Israel of all developments relating to the new borders. Israeli officials said that the topic is being researched by the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs in order to assess its implications. According to the officials, changes to the peace accords may not be necessary, since the Islands belonged to Saudi Arabia anyway, and Saudi Arabia is committed to the accords.
Egyptian representatives told their Israeli counterparts that the signed agreement includes a commitment by Saudi representatives to respect all of Egypt’s peace accord obligations to Israel. The Egyptian parliament will have to approve the island deal before it becomes official.
Al-Ahram claimed that parts of the island agreement could require changes to the peace accords with Israel (specifically, changing maritime borders in the region), which would in turn require Knesset approval. According to the newspaper, Israel expressed no reservations about the agreement to Egypt, only asking that thing be done lawfully.
