The House of Representatives’ ratification of the Tiran and Sanafir handover treaty is once again leading the conversation on Egypt in the foreign press this morning. The controversial pact, whose passage was announced “abruptly” by Parliamentary Speaker Ali Abdel Aal before discussions were concluded, could reignite rare protests in Egypt, Dahlia Kholaif writes for the Wall Street Journal. Security forces clashed with and arrested “several dozen” demonstrators who gathered outside the Press Syndicate on Tuesday evening to protest the agreement, AFP and the AP report.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times’ Heba Saleh takes note of the government’s website ban as part of the steps taken to prepare public opinion for parliament’s vote on the handover of the islands and suppress critical voices.