Al-Monitor Daily Briefing: Netanyahu fights for his political life

[logo]( [fb_icon]( [twitter_icon]( EDITOR'S PICKS Friday, March 1 | Daily Briefing [By: Ben Caspit on Friday, Mar. 1, 2019]( Israel 1 [Netanyahu fights for his political life]( Following the attorney general's announcement that he will be indicted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stepped up his desperate war against the legal system and the media. Washington 2 [US shrugs off Zarif resignation reversal]( Before Iran’s foreign minister had returned to the job, the Donald Trump administration dismissed Mohammad Javad Zarif’s resignation as essentially irrelevant, as the prospect of getting to the negotiating table looks increasingly remote. Washington 3 [Iraqi envoy calls on US to reopen Basra consulate]( At an exclusive Al-Monitor event, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States urged the Donald Trump administration to reopen its consulate in Basra, which the State Department closed last year amid rocket attacks from Iran-backed militias. Iran 4 [Rouhani media launches rare attack on hard-line critic in parliament]( In a rare move, the news agency that operates under Hassan Rouhani has responded with an attack on a staunch critic in parliament for spreading “lies.” Washington 5 [Israeli elections pit Republicans against AIPAC]( Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s electoral alliance with the far-right Jewish Power party has created yet another partisan cleavage over Israel. Egypt 6 [Human rights the elephant in the room at Arab-EU summit]( The first summit of European Union and Arab League leaders exposed existing rifts between the Middle East and Europe, in particular on the human rights front. Turkey 7 [IS militants continue to sneak into Turkey despite measures]( Turkish officials claim they are waging an exemplary struggle against the Islamic State (IS), but their struggle appears ridden with black holes as IS militants are able to sneak into Turkey aided by smugglers, and IS suspects often receive a more lenient treatment than other prisoners. Israel 8 [Visiting Egypt, Israelis thrilled by warm welcome]( Egyptian intellectuals and politicians are disappointed over the refusal of the Israeli leadership to advance Palestinian statehood as promised in the peace treaty, but the people in the streets of Cairo welcome Israeli tourists. Egypt 9 [Egypt eyes Asian tourists]( Almost four years after the Russian plane crash over Egypt’s Sinai, the country’s recovering tourism sector is moving to expand the Asian markets. Palestine 10 [Why Abbas is shaking up Palestinian security services]( Expected appointments and replacements within the Palestinian security services may not pass without the blessing of Israel and the United States. Iraq 11 [Peshmerga’s return to Kirkuk raises Arab and Turkmen fears]( The good relationship between Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Massoud Barzani, has led to an agreement between Baghdad and Erbil that will see the return of peshmerga forces to Kirkuk. Iran 12 [Iran’s top banks launch blockchain platform to boost ailing banking system]( Banking giants in Iran have established a digital tokenization platform to liquidize bad assets. If it can overcome the many challenges on the way, it could generate vital cash — and public trust. Turkey 13 [Erdogan’s threats to replace elected mayors could backfire]( Turkey's president is reviving a bitter debate by threatening to nullify local election results in municipalities that elect mayors from pro-Kurdish parties. Israel 14 [Netanyahu goes it alone]( Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has completely excluded Likud ministers from the party’s election campaign, choosing to stand alone even as he stands to be indicted for corruption. Egypt 15 [Saudi money casts shadow over Egypt from sport to stage]( Saudi Arabia's controversial sports minister, Turki al-Sheikh, has signed a series of deals with Egyptian entertainment companies to produce content for the kingdom, but many in the sector are far from happy about this development. STAY CONNECTED [fb_icon_footer]( [twitter_icon_footer]( [instagram_icon_footer]( [rss_icon_footer]( CONTACT US [Support & Contact]( [Advertise](mailto:advertise@al-monitor.com) NEWSLETTERS [Subscribe]( TERMS OF USE [Visitor Agreement]( [Privacy Policy]( © 2019 Al-Monitor. All Rights Reserved. If you no longer wish to receive these emails you may [unsubscribe or manage your preferences]( at any time. Al-Monitor · 1850 K St NW · Suite 1225 · Washington, DC 20006 · USA