Egyptian diplomatic sources provided new information in an interview with Qatar-based Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Tuesday with regard to the US-mediated negotiations between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Israel over the possible change status of two Red Sea islands, talks related to the establishment of a coordinated mechanism in the Gulf of Eilat aimed at securing the trade route in the area.
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According to the sources, the negotiations are being conducted intensively in order to determine the status of the Tiran and Sanafir islands "as soon as possible." They also said a large portion of the talks was devoted to discussions about security and intelligence matters.
One source said the meeting revolved around the general outline of the agreement, which is expected to be announced soon. He also said that "recent meetings … included formulations with regard to the transfer of Egyptian sovereignty over the Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia."
The report said the deal would include the establishment of a Saudi-Egyptian-Israeli mechanism in the Gulf of Eilat, or as it is known in Jordan, the Gulf of Aqaba.
Tiran and Sanafir were under Saudi jurisdiction until 1950, when Riyadh transferred them to Egypt. Israel captured the islands twice but returned them to Egypt in 1982 along with other territories of the Sinai Peninsula.
In 2016, Egypt announced that it would transfer the two islands to Saudi Arabia. In 2017 the deal was approved by the Egyptian parliament and Supreme Court, but any decision on the islands requires the approval of Israel as part of the terms of the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty.
If approved, the deal will become the first public agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The talks are mediated by Washington as US President Joe Biden is expected to visit Riyadh in June, after visiting Jerusalem, which would be his first-ever trip to Israel.
Although Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have official diplomatic ties, the two countries are said to have conducted secret talks on diplomatic and security issues for years.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
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