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
What's next in Western Sahara dispute after death of Polisario leader? Late Polisario Front leader Mohamed Abdelaziz kept the dispute over Western Sahara peaceful, but a fruitless, 25-year-long cease-fire with Morocco has young Sahrawis impatient. Morocco
Why was hajj for Iranian pilgrims canceled this year? After failing to resolve differences with Saudi Arabia, Iranians will be unable to attend the hajj pilgrimage this year. Saudi Arabia
Will Russian arms soon start flowing to Libya? Moscow reports that it's ready with military aid for Libya's unity government as soon as the arms embargo is lifted, but Tripoli must include Gen. Khalifa Hifter and the Libyan National Army in the political process for that to happen. Libya
Should Lebanon found national oil company? Valerie Marcel, an associate fellow at Chatham House who heads the New Petroleum Producers Discussion Group, speaks to Al-Monitor about issues concerning good governance in the oil sector in Lebanon. Lebanon
Erdogan engineers his own conquest of Istanbul The 563rd celebration of Istanbul's conquest was overblown, much like the omnipresent pictures of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's head on giant posters. Turkey
Turkey faces multiple dilemmas in Syria Ankara’s Kurdish phobia underlies its inability to come up with realistic strategies that will also serve its own long-term security interests. Syria
Turkey's latest 'civilian coup' A civilian takeover of the top management of OYAK, a company owned by Turkish military personnel, has raised questions. Turkey
Is new Gaza war more probable with Liberman? With Avigdor Liberman joining the Netanyahu government, Palestinians feel desperate about a breakthrough in the political stalemate between the PA and Israel and anticipate a military escalation in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Opposition infighting gives Assad regime opening in Eastern Ghouta After clashes broke out in Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian regime exploited the situation to regain control of the Damascus suburbs. Syria
Claiming lack of building permits, Israel continues to demolish Palestinian homes While refusing to grant Palestinians building permits, the Israeli authorities have recently intensified their demolition operations targeting Palestinian homes, justifying their actions by claiming that these homes were built without permits. Palestine
Iran's 'marriage of convenience' with Taliban Experts say reports of an Iran-backed Taliban buffer zone in Afghanistan against the Islamic State are overstated but that Iran has had links with Taliban commanders for over a decade. Iran
Palestinians get ready for hard-line Liberman as defense minister The appointment of ultranationalist Avigdor Liberman as Israel's defense minister sparked outrage among Palestinians, who already regard President Benjamin Netanyahu's government as one of the most extreme in Israel’s history. Palestine
