Al-Monitor Daily Briefing: SDF woos Syrian Kurdish rivals in wake of Turkish assault

If you have trouble reading this email, [view it in a browser](. [logo]( [fb_icon]( [twitter_icon]( EDITOR'S PICKS Thursday, December 5 | Daily Briefing [By: Amberin Zaman on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019]( Turkey 1 [SDF woos Syrian Kurdish rivals in wake of Turkish assault]( Could the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish-backed Kurdish National Council, long at loggerheads, come to an accord in the wake of Turkey's invasion of Kurdish-administered areas of Syria? Israel 2 [Netanyahu dangles Trump card in rotation talks]( Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still pushing for a rotation agreement and insisting that his relationship with US President Donald Trump offers Israel important security opportunities. Washington 3 [Intel: How Israel — and Netanyahu — stand to gain from Pompeo's Morocco visit]( Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in Morocco for a one-day trip aimed boosting ties with a country that the State Department deems a "critical partner" across a range of issues ahead of the visit. Washington 4 [Democratic leader pours cold water on Tulsi Gabbard’s bid to force Syria withdrawal]( The House’s No. 2 Democrat dealt a major blow to Tulsi Gabbard’s effort to force President Donald Trump to pull the remaining US troops out of Syria. Iraq 5 [Iranian consulates torched in Najaf and Karbala]( Protesters attacked the Iranian consulates in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala over the past month, yet officials deny that protesters are anti-Iran. Washington 6 [Middle East lobbyists pay op-ed writers to sell their message]( A Kuwaiti firm and an armed Iranian opposition group are some of the latest examples of lobbyists paying for positive press coverage. Palestine 7 [Israel, Palestinians show signs of good faith in Gaza]( Analysts are cautiously noting steps by both Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza toward implementing the truce understandings reached last year to avoid another round of violence. Turkey 8 [Turkey seeks to refresh NATO ties to balance Russia]( Turkey seems to have failed to get all it wanted from the NATO summit in London, but even an incomplete outcome meets its purpose of balancing ties with Russia by refreshing ties with NATO. Egypt 9 [Muslim Brotherhood struggles to find political allies among opposition parties]( The Muslim Brotherhood is seeking political allies in time for parliamentary elections slated for November 2020. Israel 10 [Gantz’ silence on incitement could cost him premiership]( As long as the center-left does not start integrating Arabs on their party lists for the Knesset, the political balance will not change and Israel would still be trapped by political deadlock. Washington 11 [Intel: Here’s how many US troops Trump wants to keep in Syria]( After months of uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding US troop levels in Syria as part of President Donald Trump’s mission to secure the war-torn country’s northeast oil fields, the Pentagon is finally disclosing a number. Culture 12 [Who helps former ultra-Orthodox integrate into Israeli way of life?]( Israelis who leave the ultra-Orthodox way of life find themselves without basic education, psychological support or career prospects. Israel 13 [Why Hamas is renewing the Gaza border protests]( In order to appease Palestinian public opinion and show that it is negotiating with Israel from a position of force, Hamas leadership is calling to resume fence demonstrations. Iran 14 [Khamenei labels some Iran protesters martyrs]( Iran's supreme leader was uncharacteristically active in the government's response to the recent protests. 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