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
Egypt launches renewable energy curriculum to boost promising sector In anticipation of the expected increase in employment opportunities in the solar and wind power sectors, the Egyptian government has launched training programs in renewable energy for students at technical schools in various governorates. Egypt
Success of US-funded Israeli missile defense system sparks interest in use inside America The United States has spent half a billion dollars developing Israel’s battle-tested Arrow 3 system, but its adoption for US use faces several obstacles. Israel
Salih Muslim: Syria's Kurdish problems will be solved by Syrians, not Turkey In an interview just days before being arrested in Prague at Turkey's request, Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim spoke to Al-Monitor about his relations with Ankara. Syria
Russia, US could be headed for collision in Syria Neither Russia nor the United States seems interested in escalating tension with each other in Syria, but the situation might push them in that direction. Syria
Signs point to early Turkish elections President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may exploit a fractured opposition and a popular military campaign to bring forward presidential and parliament elections, cementing the new powers he won in last year’s referendum. Turkey
Satan's eating habits latest topic of Turkish public debate Turkey’s president allows criticism of the country’s religious authority as long as it serves his purpose. Turkey
Jordan shows off its arsenal in new tank museum Established by King Abdullah's decree a decade ago, the recently opened tank museum in Jordan shows a large collection of local and international armored vehicles. Jordan
Will Israel act against Iran? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toughened his speech against Iran, but the reality on the ground raises questions as to whether or not the Cabinet will follow up in deeds. Israel
Egypt sends news editors to military academy for 'training' An agreement that calls for top editors of Egyptian newspapers and websites to take mandatory training sessions in media and national security at the Nasser Military Academy has stirred controversy. Egypt
Iran's currency crisis shakes Rouhani’s middle-class base Following the nationwide protests led by the Iranian working class in late December, the return of fluctuations on the foreign exchange market is putting pressure on the minds of middle-class Iranians. Iran
Turkey wants to criminalize adultery Upon instructions from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Justice Ministry is working on new legislation outlawing adultery. Turkey
Rivalry among Iran intelligence bodies spills out into open Presidential adviser Ali Younessi has said that only the Intelligence Ministry is capable of determining who is a spy and criticized other organizations for making their own assessments. Iran
