Israel gives blessing to Egypt's return of Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia
By Dan Williams
Israel gave its blessing on Tuesday to Egypt's return of two Red Sea
islands in a strategic strait to Saudi Arabia, and Defence Minister
Moshe Yaalon said that Riyadh had undertaken to respect relevant terms
of the Israeli-Egyptian peace deal.
The islands of Tiran and Sanafir, located at the southern entrance to
the Gulf of Aqaba, will be formally demarcated as being in Saudi waters
under a treaty announced on Saturday by Cairo, which has had de facto
control over them since 1950.
In 1967, Egypt blocked the Strait
of Tiran, a move that prompted Israel to launch a Middle East war. In
its 1979 peace deal with Israel, Cairo promised to respect freedom of
shipping in Aqaba and Eilat, a commitment that Saudi Arabia says it will
uphold when it takes over the islands.
Eilat is Israel's only port in the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea, while Aqaba is Jordan's sole outlet there.
Yaalon confirmed in a briefing to Israeli military reporters on Tuesday
that the Saudis, who have no formal relations with the Jewish state,
would abide by the details of the peace deal, Israel Radio said.
Israel's Haaretz newspaper said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had
been told in advance of the Egyptian-Saudi treaty and raised no
immediate objection.
