Egypt's top administrative court upheld on Monday a ruling voiding a government agreement to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia in a deal that sparked rare protests. The government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had appealed against a lower court ruling in June that found the controversial border demarcation agreement was illegal.
In its ruling, the High Administrative Court said it was its "unanimous" decision that the two islands - Tiran and Sanafir - were sovereign Egyptian territories.
The courtroom erupted in cheers as the judge delivered the verdict, with lawyers and activists chanting: "These islands are Egyptian."
The decision came after the government referred the agreement to parliament for a vote.
It may further complicate ties between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, a main financial backer of Sisi since the former army chief toppled his Islamist predecessor in 2013.
Saudi Arabia has already signalled unease by stopping a promised flow of oil to Egypt, leaving Cairo scrambling to find a new supplier.
But relations have cooled over Egypt's stance on war-torn Syria, whose President Bashar al-Assad is seen as closer to Russia than Saudi Arabia which supports rebels fighting him.
Lawyers present in court told AFP the ruling was final, but a former senior judge said the government could still find a way to appeal it.
Mohamed Hamed al-Gamal, the former head of the administrative court, said the decision was final according to this court's procedure, but it could be unconstitutional.
"The law and the constitution affirm the absence of administrative court jurisdiction in sovereign matters such as international treaties," Gamal said.