Newspapers focus on state’s official position on Tiran and Sanafir and marginalize oppositional voices

Discussions over whether or not Parliament will approve the Tiran and Sanafir agreement began in its Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee on Sunday, complicated by a Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) ruling in January that annulled the government’s agreement with Saudi Arabia and declared the islands to be Egyptian.

The ongoing controversy surrounding the treaty was further stoked by the government’s continued efforts to challenge the SAC’s ruling — first by raising a dispute over jurisdiction with the Supreme Constitutional Court, contending that the treaty was an act of sovereignty outside the purview of the judiciary, and then by filing a lawsuit with a lower-level court, the Cairo Court of Urgent Matters, which annulled the SAC's ruling in April.

Despite this, the government still referred the agreement to Parliament.

Egyptian news coverage on Monday, immediately following parliament’s first session, largely highlighted the government’s stance on the issue, leaving little space for reporting on any opposition to the treaty.

The privately owned Al-Watan newspaper’s front-page headline read: “Egypt will continue the administration and protection of Tiran and Sanafir through Saudi Arabia’s agreement if the border demarcation is approved.” The newspaper’s sub-headlines asserted that the government based its decision on a 1990 determination by former president Hosni Mubarak that did not include Tiran and Sanafir in Egypt’s maritime borders, and quoted Foreign Minister Sameh Shokry saying the territorial and economic waters of both countries show no evidence that the islands were included within Egypt’s maritime borders.

Al-Watan’s front page also quoted parliamentary speaker Ali Abdel Aal, who has consistently supported the government’s position vis-a-vis the islands, accusing oppositional MPs from the 25-30 Coalition of attending the session to disrupt the process. The newspaper also reported that Mostafa Bakry, a member of the majority-coalition Alliance to Support Egypt and a staunch advocate of the opinion that the Islands are Saudi Arabian, requested Mubarak be summoned to testify on the matter.

Similarly, the privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper on Monday featured the headline: “The government insists the islands are Saudi: We relied on Mubarak’s decision.” While the newspaper’s sub-headlines indicated there were some oppositional disputes, its coverage of the agreement highlighted Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry’s defense of the land transfer, and included comments from head of the Armed Forces’ Maritime Survey department Ashraf al-Assal, who reportedly claimed “the islands’ geological location is linked to the Saudi boundary.”

At the bottom of Al-Masry Al-Youm’s front page, a news piece was published detailing a call issued by the Egyptian Institution for the Protection of the Constitution — an independent body headed by former presidential candidate Amr Moussa — that the parliamentary discussion be postponed until the Supreme Constitutional Court issues a verdict on the Egyptian State Lawsuits Authority's claim that the State Council does not have jurisdiction over acts of sovereignty. The organization further called for adherence to Article 151 of the Constitution, which stipulates that a referendum be called for concessions of sovereign territory.

The newspaper’s front page also highlighted statements from campaigners in Sharm el-Sheikh and Luxor who are calling on members of Parliament to vote against the agreement.

Youm7, another privately owned daily newspaper, also parroted the state’s line, quoting the foreign minister’s statement that the islands are Saudi at the top of its front page and including a government report for Parliament stating that Egypt “occupied” the islands to protect them from Israel, in addition to speaker Abdel Aal’s assertion — “All of us are patriotic” — and a rebuttal against accusations that giving the islands to Saudi Arabia is tantamount to treason.

The state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper’s front page also featured comments from Shoukry, referring to the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee’s “tumultuous” meeting in a subheading. Unlike other newspapers, Al-Ahram also mentioned an oppositional argument on its front page, reporting that the 25-30 Coalition argued against the discussion of the agreement while its validity was still being contested in court.

In contrast with the majority of Monday’s coverage, the privately owned Al-Shorouk newspaper led with a headline stating that Tiran and Sanafir “ignited” Parliament, referencing Abdel Aal’s assertions that court rulings carry no legal weight in the house. The newspaper also ran statements from opposition groups against discussing the treaty in Parliament, including statements by former presidential candidates Hamdeen Sabbahi and Amr Moussa.

Major television channels were notably absent during a press conference held by opposition parties and groups on Sunday, in which Sabbahi, prominent lawyer Khaled Ali and several others spoke out against the treaty.

Pro-state privately-owned newspaper Al-Bawaba featured slightly more balanced coverage, including both the positions and arguments of the government and opposition in its main title and subhead.

Tensions in parliament were running high on Monday, pushing Speaker Abdel Aal to adjourn discussions to 9.30 pm, due to reported altercations that broke out between MPs from the pro-state Alliance to Support Egypt coalition and oppositional 25-30 Coalition.

The Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee’s discussions are scheduled to conclude on Tuesday, after which the agreement will be referred for discussion in a general parliamentary session and subsequently put to a vote.