Al-Monitor Daily Briefing: US, allies press Russia to allow UN aid to Syria from Iraq

If you have trouble reading this email, [view it in a browser](. [logo]( [fb_icon]( [twitter_icon]( EDITOR'S PICKS Thursday, May 21 | Daily Briefing [By: Amberin Zaman on Wednesday, May. 20, 2020]( Syria 1 [US, allies press Russia to allow UN aid to Syria from Iraq]( Though the United States and allied countries are working to convince Russia to reopen a border crossing between Iraq and Syria to UN humanitarian aid, Moscow could not only refuse but block aid through other points. Israel 2 [Israeli-Chinese ties scrutinized by US]( Washington might soon demand that Israel pick a side in the security and trade conflict between the United States and China. Palestine 3 [Division, mixed international support sap Palestinian resources in face of annexation]( As Israel's possible annexation approaches, Palestinians are struggling to unite behind a realistic plan. Egypt 4 [Egypt steps up crackdown on journalists as world celebrates press freedom]( As the world celebrated World Press Freedom Day, journalists in Egypt were being subjected to an arrest campaign by Egyptian security forces, while the authorities banned the use of pseudonyms. 5 [Two men arrested in US for allegedly helping Carlos Ghosn flee Japan]( The former Nissan executive fled Japan for his native Lebanon while on bail following being charged with financial crimes. Israel 6 [Israel’s new foreign minister has other, higher ambitions]( For Gabi Ashkenazi, his appointment as Israel’s new foreign minister is just the first step in his expected political soar. 7 [Intel: Houthis continue to detain Baha’i prisoners despite promise to release them]( The political head of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Mehdi al-Mashat, vowed to release six Baha’i prisoners during a lengthy televised address in March. Two months later, multiple sources have confirmed to Al-Monitor that the Yemeni rebels have failed to follow through and that all six prisoners remain behind bars. Israel 8 [Israeli soccer fans dream of returning to stadiums]( Israeli soccer players have resumed training sessions and might even play again, but the fans are still kept away from the stadiums. Iran 9 [Iran’s judiciary sentences couple to death over corruption]( The long arm of the Iranian law has reached the “sultan of cars” and his wife, last in a line of market manipulators sent to the gallows. Washington 10 [Intel: US rescinds ban on British defense firm implicated in Saudi weapons fraud]( The US State Department is rescinding a 9-year-old policy that barred it from doing business with the Saudi subsidiary of a British defense firm, which pled guilty to fraud in a multibillion-dollar arms deal in 2010. Turkey 11 [Top admiral's resignation rattles Turkey]( The demotion and then resignation of the chief of staff of the Turkish navy, Rear Adm. Cihat Yayci, has led to questions whether the Turkish government is distancing itself from Euroasianist figures to mend ties with its Western partners. 12 [Intel: Top adviser signals Biden would keep troops in Syria as leverage]( Under a Joe Biden presidency, the United States would retain a military presence in northeast Syria as leverage against the regime, the presumptive Democratic nominee’s top foreign policy adviser suggests. Turkey 13 [COVID-19 ravages Turkey’s vital clothing, textile industry]( Turkey’s clothing and textile sector, a vital source of employment and revenues, has become the worst-hit industrial branch in the coronavirus crisis, taking both domestic and external blows. Turkey 14 [Qatar triples swap line with Turkey]( Qatar has offered support to Turkey’s central bank, expanding a currency-swap agreement to $15 billion as Ankara seeks to mitigate economic shocks from the coronavirus pandemic. Turkey 15 [Ankara unfolds Hagia Sophia card against COVID-19 crisis]( Erdogan’s government has signaled it could consider turning the Hagia Sophia Museum into a mosque as part of religious messages aimed at keeping its voter base intact under the strain of economic turmoil, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. 16 [Turkey to relax quarantine rules for citizens returning from abroad]( Instead of completing quarantine in dormitories across Turkey, arrivals from abroad will be allowed to isolate at home for two weeks. 17 [Intel: US sanctions Iran’s interior minister over deadly protests]( The United States slapped fresh sanctions and visa restrictions on 12 Iranian officials and entities, most accused of serious human rights abuses, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Wednesday. 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]( © 2020 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