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April 16th, 2016 
Awake Goy 
Fahwad Al-Khadoumi (nsnbc) : The administration of Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi agreed to transfer sovereignty over the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir, located at the entrance of Al-Aqaba Gulf, to Saudi Arabia. The decision sparked protests and calls for a referendum in Egypt. A person working with the dossier in Egypt’s Defense Ministry spoke with nsnbc on condition of anonymity, revealing the dangerous geopolitical considerations and implications.
The administration of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi announced the decision after top-level meetings with Saudi government officials. The announcement prompted widespread protests and calls for a referendum on the issue. On Friday police dispersed two protests against the decision in Cairo. These protests do however, continue, among others at Egypt’s Press Syndicate, as reported by Hanan fayed for Youm7 and The Cairo Post.
A functionary working with the dossier in Egypt’s Defense Ministry spoke with nsnbc on condition of anonymity. The functionary explained that considerations about Saudi Arabia’s economic help and investments in Egypt “played a role”, but that the main reason’s for the decision were based on security concerns and the containment of Iranian influence in the region.
Iran has increased its influence in the region since the onset of the war in Yemen and its semi-official support of Houthi militants in Yemen. Egypt considers any development that could threaten shipping via the Red Sea and especially via the Bab El-Mandeb Strait, the southern entrance to the Suez Canal, as an issue of “vital importance for Egypt’s security and economy”.
He added that the decision could turn out to be a two-edged sword, as Saudi Arabia, for its part, is on one hand attempting to limit Qatar’s and the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence as well as the influence of Iran, while it with the other hand supports various branches of Al-Qaeda and the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Saudi Arabia could easily use Tiran and Sanafir for special operations and the infiltration of Egypt’s Sinai peninsula withal-Qaeda / Islamic state linked insurgents.
Protests in Egypt are likely to continue, even though protesters don’t focus on the security and defense issues. Professor of philosophy and history of law at al-Zagazig University Ahmed Farahat stressed that the request to conduct a public referendum is in accordance with Article 151 of the constitution which requires the president to obtain the parliament’s approval before signing foreign treaties. He added that the Parliament did not do so and that those who deliberately ignored democracy and the politics should be blamed.
F/AK – nsnbc 16.04.2016
Source Article from http://nsnbc.me/2016/04/16/dangerous-geopolitical-machinations-behind-egypts-transfer-of-red-sea-islands-to-saudi-arabia/
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