40 arrested in Smurf Islands protest

Protesters gathered on Friday to demonstrate against parliament’s vote in favor ofhanding over Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia, leading to the closure of the Sadat metro station, according to Al Mal. Security forces arrested around 40 protesters in the Greater Cairo area, Al Shorouk reports. The Associated Press also took note of the protests over the islands transfer, which theNew York Times’ Declan Walsh says is “one of the most politically sensitive issues facing Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.” Following the protests, cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center published a copy of a 1990 presidential decree demarcating Egypt’s maritime borders with Saudi Arabia, in which the islands fall under the kingdom’s territory, Ahram Gate reports.