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
Trump speech sparks outrage in Iran US President Donald Trump’s speech on his new Iran strategy angered both Iranian officials and regular citizens. United States
Israel’s first international film festival hits 33 The Haifa Film Festival, known for its fine selection of documentaries, launched new categories this year, such as foodie and environmental cinema. Israel
Turkish government revives its anti-divorce report The Turkish government has relaunched a debate on its controversial investigative report that seeks to prevent divorce and strengthen family unity. Turkey
Trump, Congress play game of chicken with Iran After refusing to certify that the Iran nuclear deal is in the US interest, Trump has called on Congress to unilaterally eliminate the deal’s sunset provisions. Congress
Trump punts fate of Iran deal to Congress President Donald Trump's announcement that he will not be certifying the Iran nuclear accord was met with domestic and international criticism. Congress
Erdogan’s antics keep Russia on its toes Turkey’s president takes actions that sometimes seem like self-sabotage, like surprising Moscow with his recent statements on the Crimean Peninsula and his decision to complicate Russia’s export procedures. Syria
New Reformist Tehran mayor inherits old problems The new Reformist mayor of Iran's capital Mohammad Ali Najafi has inherited several financial challenges created by the previous conservative mayor. Iran
Jailed Kurdish leader keeps in touch with supporters through arts, literature Selahattin Demirtas, the jailed leader of Turkey’s Kurdish political movement, tells Al-Monitor from prison how arts and literature have become his way of resisting oppression and despair. Turkey
Netanyahu’s engineered image For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his family history and memories are turned into tools to promote his image in Israel and around the world. Israel
How Egyptian activists are trying to curb polygamy A number of activists launched a Facebook campaign to add a new condition in marriage contracts, requiring the first wife’s permission for her husband’s second marriage. Egypt
Israeli tech companies start contracting in Gaza Israeli IT companies have started contracting Gazan engineers to work on projects in a move that will not please Hamas but could improve Gaza's economy. Palestine
Amid reconciliation efforts, Palestine sets its eyes on Gaza gas field The Palestinian Authority is deploying continuous efforts to begin excavation works in the Gaza Marine gas field off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Palestine
