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
Will Iraqi-Saudi rapprochement undermine Iran’s role in Iraq? With US support, Saudi Arabia and Iraq are getting close to each other to minimize Iran's influence in Iraq. Saudi Arabia
Lebanon battles to get its treasures back A marble bull’s head and a statue of a calf bearer, stolen in 1981, are due to return to Lebanon after a legal battle with private collectors in the United States. Lebanon
Opposition leader implores US not to abandon Syria to Russia and Iran The new leader of the Syrian national coalition shared with Al-Monitor his plans for lobbying the Trump administration during his first visit to Washington. Syria
Turkish prison cannot stifle Kurdish journalist's art Imprisoned over her painting of the destruction of Nusaybin, Kurdish Turkish journalist and artist Zehra Dogan continues to produce provocative art that is smuggled to the world outside. Turkey
IRGC commander rules out war between Iran, US The commander of the Revolutionary Guards said a war between Tehran and the United States was impossible, citing US fear of the consequences. United States
Saudi crown prince rattles Turkish Islamists Supporters of Turkey’s Islamist government claim Mohammed bin Salman’s aim to push for moderate Islam in Saudi Arabia is motivated by US imperial designs against Muslims. Saudi Arabia
Netanyahu's half-truth The speech delivered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the opening of the Knesset’s winter session indicates that being at the top for too long has impeded his ability to look down. Israel
Is Israel really implementing economic aid to Palestinians? Palestinians argue that Israel has not implemented the economic aid measures it has promised, apart from finalizing the already authorized Hebron industrial park. Palestine
US project aims to improve water access for Palestinian farmers The US consulate in Jerusalem launched a $10 million water project to increase Palestinian farmers' access to treated irrigation water. Palestine
Former Salafi cleric stuns Morocco with calls for gender equality Since his release from prison in Morocco, former hardcore Salafist Mohamed Abdelwahab al-Rafiqi has become a controversial figure with his calls for equality in inheritance rights. Morocco
Is an Egyptian version of UNESCO in the making? After losing in the runoff to the top post at UNESCO, Moushira Khattab proposed the establishment of an Egyptian UNESCO to help promote culture, education and heritage. Egypt
Is Netanyahu plotting early elections? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is confident that if he announces early elections, he would win another mandate. Israel
