Island transfer will promote Saudi-Israeli ties

Significance

Egypt ceded the Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia in 2017. Israel lifted its veto on the deal in July and in exchange, Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to all Israeli flights, advancing normalisation between the two countries.

Impacts

• International peacekeepers stationed on Tiran will move to the Sinai peninsula, replaced by security cameras.
• Flight times to Asia will decrease for Israeli airlines, and Muslim pilgrims from Israel will be able to fly directly to Saudi Arabia.
• Saudi Arabia will try to integrate the islands into Red Sea tourism projects but the economic benefits will be limited.
• Saudi Arabia will support Egypt’s economy, but infrastructure projects promised as part of the transfer are unlikely to materialise.