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
New Palestinian law to regulate organ transplant market Once it passes, a new Palestinian law on organ donations is expected to help the Health Ministry treat the growing number of patients in urgent need of organ transplants. Palestine
Russia rushes to fill possible void left by Trump in Middle East The Palestinian ambassador to Moscow tells Al-Monitor that Russia considers the Middle East its vital sphere of interest. Near East
Netanyahu, master of 'alternative facts' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long made use of "alternative facts" when dealing with settlement construction and building by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians. Palestine
Trump’s Middle East fans get caught up in global blowback Political leaders from Israel to Saudi Arabia are quickly finding out that siding with Trump comes at a price. Saudi Arabia
Iran’s president: We’re neither xenophiles nor xenophobes Amid continuing criticism by hard-liners over the US visa ban, Iran’s president has lashed out, asserting that independence is not equivalent to isolation. Iran
Gulf of mistrust mars Kuwaiti initiative for Iran-GCC dialogue Despite Kuwait’s reported initiative to resolve tension between Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council, it appears that the two sides are not yet ready to address the deeper causes of conflict and tension. Legacy: Gulf
Will Turkish-Greek tensions escalate over Aegean islands, fugitive officers? A Greek court’s decision to deny Turkey’s request for the extradition of suspected Gulenist officers who had fled to Greece after the failed coup, coupled with new tensions on the Aegean Sea, could reignite old disputes between Ankara and Athens. Turkey
Sinai families demand probe following killings A new conflict between north Sinai residents and the Interior Ministry erupted when the latter announced the death of 10 people allegedly affiliated with Wilayat Sinai, which the residents dispute. Egypt
Who will dictate religious discourse in Egypt? Tensions are building as the Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Al-Azhar Mosque are competing over who gets to determine the topics imams discuss in mosques. Egypt
How unsolved murders serve power struggles in Turkey High-profile trials and political murders have become tools in Turkey's power struggles, doubling also as a means to intimidate dissidents. Turkey
Does Syria really want to reconcile with Kurds? The future of Syrian Kurds is uncertain, but they have at least made it obvious that things must change. Syria
Can Hamas' Haniyeh accept Egyptian demands? During their trip to Cairo, Hamas officials heard a long list of Egyptian security demands in exchange for mending ties, and now incoming leader Ismail Haniyeh must sell the deal or be left to rule the Gaza Strip without Egypt's help. Palestine
