1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Possible Withdrawal of U.S. Peacekeepers from the Sinai Peninsula May 25, 2020 Overview U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper reportedly is considering withdrawing the roughly 450 person U.S. military contingent from the Mu
2、ltinational Force and Observers (MFO), an international peacekeeping mission formed in 1981 to monitor the demilitarization of the Sinai Peninsula and supervise the implementation of the historic 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. Explanations for the withdrawal proposal have centered on re
3、positioning U.S. forces globally to better prepare for contingencies related to China and Russia, improved Israeli-Egyptian ties, and concern for the safety of U.S. peacekeepers. In recent years, U.S. forces in the Sinai have faced a heightened risk of terrorist attacks by groups such as the Islamic
4、 States Sinai Province (SP). Israeli officials and the leaders of American Jewish organizations have voiced concern over a possible U.S. withdrawal, asserting that the mission remains important and that U.S. participation and leadership in the MFO is vital for its ongoing success. On May 13, a bipar
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