The Takeaway: Would Hamas complicate US plans for reset with Palestinians? Also: the back story on the spat between Israel and Jordan; Gulf post-COVID economic trends; Turkey’s Kurds; Egypt and Somalia; and more! Originals
Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Palestinians receive first batch of vaccines through COVAX More than 60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived in Ramallah on Wednesday. Palestine
Iraq’s Future Uncertain Amid Political Turmoil As disputes persist among Iraq’s governmental branches, it is unlikely that a resolution will be reached anytime soon. Iraq
Israeli Finance Minister Lapid On Probation Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid seeks to please the right-wing electorate, in preparation for his long-term ambition: to become prime minister. Israel
Maliki Prioritizes Health Care Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gives priority to the construction of 10 new hospitals as part of efforts to develop and improve the Iraqi health-care sector. Iraq
Syria’s Conflict May Already Be in Lebanon Following recent conflict in Lebanon’s Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, it is becoming ever more apparent that Syria’s conflict, as represented between Jabhat al-Nusra and Hezbollah, is already in Lebanon. Lebanon
Turkey’s Clash of Civilizations Turkey’s secular and democratic identity should not be compromised for religious orthodoxy. Turkey
Kerry Pursues 'Resumed Negotiations' Palestinian reconciliation must precede an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. Palestine
Iranian Puppet Show Lampoons Societal Woes "Red Hat" circumvents restrictions on freedom of speech to critique Iranian government policies that have led to serious economic problems. Iran
Misreading The 'Syria Transition Act' In Turkey The Senate Foreign Relations Committee bill does not signal the imminent arrival of US arms to the Syria opposition. Syria
Iran’s UN Ambassador Welcomes Geneva II Conference on Syria Mohammad Khazaee, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, discusses Iran’s position on Syria in an email interview with Al-Monitor. Turkey
Israeli Labor Party Plots Comeback Veteran Labor members are planning to replace party chair Shelly Yachimovich with popular former Israeli chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi. Israel
Kerry’s 'Shawarma Diplomacy' Wins Mixed Palestinian Response US Secretary of State John Kerry’s unscheduled detour in the West Bank to buy a shawarma sandwich has given rise to speculation about his motives. Palestine
The Israel-Egypt-Hamas Triangle in the Sinai The threat posed by Salafists and other jihadists in the northern Sinai has resulted in Hamas, Egypt and Israel recognizing their mutual interests. Palestine
