Al-Monitor Daily Briefing: Saudis recruit legal muscle for leverage in US nuclear negotiations

[logo]( [fb_icon]( [twitter_icon]( EDITOR'S PICKS Friday, February 23 | Daily Briefing [By: Bryant Harris on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018]( Washington 1 [Saudis recruit legal muscle for leverage in US nuclear negotiations]( Saudi Arabia has hired an international law firm to help negotiate a more favorable civil nuclear agreement with Washington amid pushback in Congress. 2 [US hits deadlock in Lebanon-Israel border mediation]( Renewed tension over the demarcation of the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon has the United States engaged in shuttle diplomacy between the countries. Iran 3 [Why Iran doesn’t want escalation Syria]( Contrary to the narrative that Iran wants to drag Israel into the Syrian war, Tehran appears to have no incentive to do so. Israel 4 [Israel plagued with political corruption]( Unless Israeli society acts severely and decisively against political corruption, this corruption monster will take over every aspect of life. Turkey 5 [Turkey mulls 'national' bitcoin]( A government-promoted push for the "native and national" in almost every realm has reached the sphere of cryptocurrency despite Turkey's lingering mistrust of bitcoin. 6 [Ahmadinejad asks Khamenei for free and immediate elections]( Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written a letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for free and immediate elections. Russia / Mideast 7 [Al-Qaeda could stand to gain from changing Syrian situation]( Divergent goals of the major players in Syria, along with the apparent evolution of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group, could all wind up strengthening al-Qaeda. Palestine 8 [Can a new 'rescue council' save Gaza?]( A new national council has formed in Gaza with the goal of offering services that the Palestinian consensus government appears unable or unwilling to provide. Washington 9 [World financial watchdog keeps punting on Iran]( Iran had hoped to be removed from an international financial watch list but will have to settle for a continuation of an ambiguous status quo. Egypt 10 [Egyptians petition for home schooling recognition]( An increasing number of families in Egypt are choosing home schooling as an alternative educational approach and are calling on the Ministry of Education to recognize it. Palestine 11 [Has Gaza joined the axis of resistance?]( Palestinian factions, with the exception of Fatah, are threatening to open a Gaza front against Israel if it goes to war in Syria, Lebanon or Iran. Palestine 12 [Small press brings e-books to Gaza]( The e-publisher Khota Books started with local authors and now offers Gazan readers both electronic and physical copies of works by international writers. Palestine 13 [Knesset advances 'dangerous' Jerusalem residency law]( An Israeli Knesset committee recently approved a draft law that would make it easier to revoke the residency status of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, raising the concerns of human rights organizations. Israel 14 [Palestinian press applauds coverage of Netanyahu’s investigations]( While Palestinian journalists have appreciated the Israeli media's reports on the police investigations into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the journalists are sharply critical when it comes to Israeli media coverage of the occupation of Palestinian territories. Turkey 15 [Erdogan uses imprisoned foreigners as bargaining chips]( A reporter for Germany's Die Welt newspaper was recently released after a year in prison with no trial, but Turkey is likely to continue detaining foreigners for political bargaining. Israel 16 ['The World According to Netanyahu']( Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's character will not allow him to surrender until he knows he no longer has a chance of prevailing in the face of police allegations of involvement in criminal activity. 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]( © 2017 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