ABSTRACT
The Strait of Tiran links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aqaba and is therefore vital as the choke point controlling maritime access from Eilat and Aqaba. The strait is within the territorial waters of two riparian states: Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia extended its territorial waters from 3 to 6 nml in 1949, and Egypt followed suit in 1951. In 1948, with the hostilities between Israel and the Arab states, the Strait of Tiran was closed to Israeli vessels and in 1950 Egypt took possession of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir. In 1957, after the Suez campaign, transit was granted to vessels of all nations and UN Emergency Force (UNEF) troops were stationed on the western shore at Sharm el Sheikh and Ras Nasrani to guarantee freedom of passage. The periodic closure of the Tiran Strait to Israeli shipping has been justified on a number of counts.
