Al-Monitor Daily Briefing: Erdogan banks on Trump’s friendship to deal with Libya

If you have trouble reading this email, [view it in a browser](. [logo]( [fb_icon]( [twitter_icon]( EDITOR'S PICKS Friday, June 12 | Daily Briefing [By: Cengiz Candar on Thursday, Jun. 11, 2020]( Turkey 1 [Erdogan banks on Trump’s friendship to deal with Libya]( Turkey needs the support of the United States more than it did months ago to implement its regional agenda in Libya and beyond. Iraq 2 [US, Iraq look to continue strategic dialogue in Washington next month]( Following an initial round of talks in Baghdad, Iraq and the United States have agreed to maintain and expand cooperation in various realms. Israel 3 [Senior UAE official warns Israeli public against annexation in op-ed]( In an unprecedented op-ed at the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, UAE Ambassador to Washington and Minister Yousef Al-Otaiba calls upon Israel to retract from its annexation plan. Lebanon 4 [New wave of protests rocks Beirut]( Lebanon's wide protests are regaining steam and the streets are growing more violent as partisan loyalties foment conflict among the demonstrators. Washington 5 [Intel: China may pose greater challenge to US hegemony in Mideast than Russia]( The top US military commander for operations in the Middle East said that China’s economic influence in the Middle East may one day pose a greater challenge to US strategic interests than Russia in the region, even as the Kremlin seeks wider military presence in Syria and Libya. Israel 6 [Asylum-seekers in Israel face additional hardships over coronavirus]( Asylum-seekers in Israel are now losing their jobs and social security over the coronavirus outbreak. Turkey 7 [Turkey’s news channels can’t breathe]( Journalism in Turkey is choking under a censorship mechanism in which newsroom managers, leaders often act as “government commissars.” Egypt 8 [Egypt exploits Sudan-Ethiopia tension to advance position in GERD talks]( As tensions increased between Sudan and Ethiopia, Egypt quickly intervened to push Khartoum to its side as trilateral negotiations on the Nile dam hit a wall over Addis Ababa’s insistence to start filling the dam in July. Egypt 9 [Mohamed Ali returns to slam Sisi on COVID-19 — is anyone listening?]( Mohamed Ali, an Egyptian construction contractor who last year called for protests against Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has recently appeared on social media, accusing the government of failing to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. 10 [Yemen’s health care system collapses as virus spreads]( Doctors Without Borders says it has witnessed the highest death rate yet from the virus in the Houthi-held city of Sanaa. 11 [New report details damage to Iraqi economy during COVID-19 pandemic]( The report by the UN-affiliated International Organization for Migration shows how virus-related restrictions have led to revenue and job losses for small and medium-sized businesses in Iraq. Israel 12 [Trump battling Netanyahu’s war against the ICC]( Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the decision by US President Donald trump to sanction workers of the ICC, blaming the international court for fabricating accusations against the Jewish people. Egypt 13 [Egypt’s project in Tanzania refutes Ethiopia’s accusations]( The project to build a dam on the Rufiji River in Tanzania, which is being carried out by a joint venture of Egyptian companies, proves wrong Ethiopia that has been claiming Cairo is standing in the way of development projects in Africa. 14 [Qatar National Bank hit with lawsuit over Americans killed by Hamas in Israel]( A wrongful death lawsuit was filed in New York by dozens of relatives of 10 Americans killed or wounded by Hamas attacks in Israel and the West Bank. 15 [European court rules against French conviction of BDS activists]( The European Court of Human Rights ruled that boycotts are protected forms of protest, saying France erred in convicting activists of incitement to discrimination for asking people stop buying Israeli products. 16 [After promising accountability, Iraq arrests suspect in protester's death]( The spokesman for the Defense Ministry said the suspect killed an anti-government protester in Baghdad. Washington 17 [Intel: Congress pushes back against Pentagon plan to withdraw US forces from Egypt’s Sinai]( Congress is using a key defense bill to push back against Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s reported plans to withdraw US peacekeeping forces from Egypt’s Sinai. Gulf 18 [Qatar’s World Cup organizers accused of not paying migrant workers]( Human rights organization Amnesty International said roughly 100 employees of a Qatari subcontractor went up to seven months without receiving salaries. Israel 19 [Will Netanyahu opt for partial annexation?]( Some reports say Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might opt for a phased annexation plan for the West Bank that, at least at first, would exclude the Jordan Valley. 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