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 opposition MP: Resigning over island transfer 'no longer useful' Nadia Henry, a member of Egypt’s opposition 25-30 bloc in parliament, tells Al-Monitor that the opposition will continue to fight the transfer of Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia, and that a larger opposition coalition could be created. Saudi Arabia
Egypt's doubled rations no cause for celebration as prices set to soar The Egyptian government has doubled rations for millions of citizens even as the new budget outlines a plan to reduce and eventually eliminate subsidies altogether. Egypt
Pentagon braces for Islamic State insurgency after Mosul The top US commander in Iraq and Syria warned of a hard-fought insurgency but ruled out a US troop surge. Iraq
Economists praise Egyptian court ruling on jobless benefits The Egyptian government is mulling over a high court’s decision that the constitution guarantees financial help to the country’s unemployed. Egypt
Cozy Tillerson-Erdogan meeting in Turkey raises hope for warming ties In a positive sign for US-Turkish ties, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held reportedly friendly and lengthy talks with Turkish leaders in Istanbul on the sidelines of a World Petroleum Congress. Turkey
Ankara may be counting on US-Russian rivalry in Syria Unable to make its own mark, Ankara continues to vacillate between Moscow and Washington in an apparent effort to secure support to roll back gains by Syrian Kurds it considers terrorists. Turkey
Lebanese artist pays tribute to leaving a life behind Lebanese artist Yazan Halwani’s mural in Mannheim, Germany, aims to display the mobility of his country’s youth. Lebanon
Israeli Labor voters opt for the new guy Newly elected Israeli Labor Chairman Avi Gabbay has little political experience to offer the party. Applauded by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, he invites all veterans to join forces. Israel
Is Iran running Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units? Some leaders and members of Iraq's PMU are heavily swayed by Iran, which is pressuring Iraq to distance itself from the United States. Iraq
Rise of new Saudi crown prince stirs serious concerns in Iran While the elevation of Mohammed bin Salman was no surprise to many observers in Tehran, his de facto rule over Saudi Arabia is raising serious concerns in Iran. Saudi Arabia
Iran ready to work with Interpol over 1994 Argentina bombing Iran expressed readiness to start talks over its alleged involvement in a 1994 bombing in Argentina. Saudi Arabia
Iran-PA relations continue to nosedive Palestinians criticized the Fatah parliamentary bloc’s participation in the Iranian opposition conference held recently in Paris, and considered it to be interference in Iran’s internal affairs. Palestine
