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
President's Absence Complicates Iraqi Politics As Iraqi President Jalal Talabani continues to undergo treatment in Berlin, Iraqi leaders are indecisive on how to proceed in his absence, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Is Turkey Overcoming The Armenian Taboo? Turkey is changing from a country where the phrase "Armenian question" was never mentioned to one where groups are marching in the street using the term "Armenian genocide," writes Orhan Kemal Cengiz. Turkey
Iraqi Kurdistan Open To Arab Investment New investment projects in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have led to a strengthening of ties with Arab states, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Netanyahu’s Challenges On Knesset's Opening Day Mazal Mualem lists the five challenges which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must face with the opening of the 19th Knesset summer session. Israel
Currency Auctions by Iraq Bank Called Into Question The Central Bank of Iraq’s practice of auctioning US dollars has come under fire amid suspicion that the practice leads to money laundering and the channeling of dollars to Iran, reports Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Hamas Ties to Qatar Have Cost Hamas seeks to maintain its independence but has faced challenges since pivoting from Syria and Iran to Qatar, writes Adnan Abu Amer. Qatar
Sheikh With Lebanese Ties Linked to Marathon Bombers Excerpts of speeches from jihadist Sheikh Feiz Mohammad were allegedly found on the YouTube account of one of the Boston Marathon bombers, Jean Aziz reports. Lebanon
US Not Considering Arms To Syrian Rebels The Obama administration resists congressional pressure for military aid to the Syrian rebels; Al-Monitor writers take on the case of Fazil Say and the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Palestine
Playing with Fire On the Temple Mount Provocative visits to the Temple Mount by Knesset members and ministers from the right could prove costly, writes Nadav Perry. Palestine
Palestinian Refugees in Egypt Palestinian refugees in Egypt still face many challenges and discrimination, writes Mahmoud Omar. Palestine
Israeli Students Show Little Interest In Learning Arabic In contrast to the revival of Hebrew studies in Gaza, Israeli students are reluctant to learn Arabic, writes Shlomi Eldar. Palestine
What Is the Extent of Hezbollah's Involvement in Syria? While Hezbollah claims that it has sent militants to Syria to protect Lebanese citizens living in border towns, there are conflicting reports regarding the size and purpose of the party’s involvement, writes Elie Hajj. Lebanon
