The Tower Israel, Egypt Object to American Proposal to Withdraw Troops from Sinai Israel and Egypt have objected to an American proposal to reduce its presence in a multinational peacekeeping force in the Sinai Desert, Haaretz reported Wednesday. The approximately 700 American troops make up about half of the force, which was set up as part of the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, largely to make sure no heavy weapons enter the Sinai without mutual agreement. Israel has approved of Egypt moving troops, tanks, and planes into the Sinai in order to fight ISIS. Read more: http://www.thetower.org/3325-israel-egypt-object-to-american-proposal-to-reduce-troops-in-sinai/ Tass Russian, Egyptian top diplomats speak for maintenance of Syria ceasefire — ministry Russian and Egyptian foreign ministers Sergey Lavrov and Sameh Shoukry have discussed the situation in Syria during a telephone conversation and spoken for maintenance of the ceasefire regime in that country, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported Thursday. "During the conversation, the sides exchanged opinions on urgent issues of the regional agenda with the stress on the development of the situation in Syria and around it, including with account for talks held in Moscow on May 3 between Sergey Lavrov and the UN secretary-general's special envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura," the ministry's statement said. "The heads of the foreign policy departments of Russia and Egypt have confirmed that collective efforts aimed at the soonest possible termination of the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic and continuation of a stable intra-Syrian negotiating process under UN auspices have no alternative," it said. Read more: http://tass.ru/en/politics/874178