Saturday, the house of representatives approved President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to extend exceptional security measures in Sinai for another six months to confront “the dangers of terrorist crimes.” This is the third time that exceptional security measures have been extended in the area since October 2021.

A judicial source said that the exceptional measures extended are a reformulation of the emergency law, stressing that the constitution and regulations, including the emergency and anti-terrorism rules, obligate the government with some restrictions. However, according to the approved presidential decision, the security services have the right to take any exceptional measures they see fit with no clear limitations, according to the source.

The source added that could not separate the expansion of granting the security services lasting powers and authorities could not separate the development of giving the security services lasting powers and authorities from a series of recent decisions regarding Sinai. These decisions include the one to exclude Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab and Aqaba from the provisions of the Integrated Development Law in the Sinai Peninsula, which prohibits ownership, usufruct, or lease of lands and real estate located in strategic areas of military importance, according to the source.