Egypt-Israel border. Photo: wiki commons.

The Cairo Administrative Court ruled Tuesday that it has no jurisdiction over a lawsuit demanding the cancellation of the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

According to the Egypt Independent, the court said the issue involves state sovereignty, which is under the president’s purview.

The plaintiffs had argued that Egypt should void its peace deal over alleged ongoing destruction of Islamic holy sites and the country’s refusal to stop settlement building in disputed territories, which they said is a violation of United Nations conventions and the treaty itself.

The court handed out the same ruling in a similar case last October.

The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was signed in 1979 between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. It was maintained during President Hosni Mubarak’s regime, but since the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood it has been repeatedly called into question.

Egypt’s current president, Mohamed Morsi, has said that he will uphold the treaty. However, members of the Freedom and Justice Party, said Tuesday that the party’s legal committee is working on a new draft law to amend the peace treaty.

The draft law will amend the treaty so the Armed Forces can gain full control over the Sinai Peninsula. The peace treaty currently  bans Egypt from sending armed troops into the peninsula, allowing only police with light weapons to guard borders with Israel.