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
Is Iraq's Kirkuk on verge of becoming independent region? A proposal to make Kirkuk an independent region has Turkmens and Kurds assessing the future of the province. Iraq
Congress weighs restrictions on Boeing sales to Iran A number of Democrats appear willing to join Republicans in setting conditions on aircraft sales to the Islamic Republic. Congress
Can Islamic finance help close Egypt’s budget shortfall? Members of parliament are working on creative ways to cut Egypt’s ever-growing budget deficit. Egypt
Khamenei shakes up Iran's armed forces With three major changes in Iran's armed forces, including chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, Iranian media is speculating that regional developments have required a shift in strategy. Iran
EU to push forward with two-state conference, with or without Washington EU senior officials are planning a two-state conference to be held before the end of the year, with both a bilateral and a multilateral track. Palestine
Are Iran, West on collision course over missiles? As Iran makes strides in the development of navigation, guidance and missile systems, the West should consider why Tehran is making such a push. Legacy: Gulf
What makes Egypt’s budget so controversial? Some members of Egypt’s parliament say the recently approved budget was passed hastily — on purpose — and doesn’t meet constitutional requirements. Egypt
Khamenei says Iran has not intervened in Bahrain Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran has not intervened in Bahrain and encouraged the island state's leaders to act wisely in order to not turn a political conflict into a civil war. Saudi Arabia
How does Sisi really feel about Egypt's constitution? Critics of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi say he is bending Egypt's constitution to his will and that he alters his statements about the constitution depending on his audience. Egypt
Will Turkey’s plan to bring in billions succeed? Scrambling to lure funds from abroad, the Turkish government has outlined unprecedented incentives for those who put money in Turkey, including Panama-style advantages and Turkish citizenship. Turkey
Is General Hifter becoming Putin's man in Libya? Despite some speculation, Gen. Khalifa Hifter's sudden visit to Moscow says less about impending arms deals than about Russia's long-term strategy in Libya and the region. Libya
Head of Fallujah liberation offers views on upcoming Mosul battle Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, who oversaw the Fallujah operation, speaks to Al-Monitor about lessons learned from that fight and offers his view on the impending battle to retake Mosul from IS. Iraq
