Well-informed sources confirmed to AFP at dawn on Friday that Israel had “no objection” to the transfer of the Tiran and Sanafir islands in the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia, a necessary condition for a possible normalization process.
US President Joe Biden, who is currently undertaking his first tour of the Middle East, met with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem on Wednesday and Thursday, and an unprecedented direct official trip from Israel to Saudi Arabia is scheduled on Friday.
During Biden’s visit, Israel and Saudi Arabia could decide the fate of the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir, which control access to the port of Eilat.
Egypt has given the green light to hand over the islands to the kingdom, but they must also be approved by Israel under the terms of the 1979 peace agreements between Cairo and Tel Aviv.
And Thursday night, Friday, hours before Biden left for Saudi Arabia, senior officials familiar with the case, who asked not to be identified, told AFP that Tel Aviv “has no objection” to Egypt’s handover of the two islands. Saudi Arabia. confirming previous media reports.
On Tuesday, Israel expressed hope that the US president’s tour of the Middle East would be the starting point for establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
A senior Israeli official told reporters on condition of anonymity that “Biden’s visit to Israel and his trip from there to Saudi Arabia reflect the dynamics of developments in recent months.”
Source: AFP.