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
Why is Egypt calling on Israel to release Marwan al-Barghouti? Sentenced to five life terms plus 40 additional years in an Israeli prison, jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti is now gaining supporters calling for his release, including Cairo. Palestine
Uproar over police brutality against Israeli Arab Israeli passers-by documented border police officers beating an Israeli-Arab youth working in a Tel Aviv grocery store. Israel
Tehran accuses Israel of holding four Iranians who disappeared 34 years ago Iran's defense minister said that Israel is holding prisoner the four Iranians who were kidnapped in Lebanon in 1982. Israel
Turkey's Islamists, nationalists both silent on Israeli weapons flow to Azerbaijan Turkey’s Islamist and ultra-nationalists are curbing their opposition — at least outwardly — to Israel, which is supplying Azerbaijan with weapons to fight Armenia. Israel
Has Netanyahu lost control over his own loyalists? Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who worked closely with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for years, is about to decide whether to open an inquiry into the premier regarding the financing of past private trips. Israel
Saudi takes rare turn on congressional hot seat Riyadh's support for extremist clerics is under scrutiny as Congress debates whether to allow terror victims to sue the kingdom. Saudi Arabia
An autopsy of the new Turkish government The new Turkish government under Prime Minister Binali Yildirim includes and excludes some curious names. Turkey
Can Erdogan afford to scuttle the refugee deal with EU? Although Erdogan still says EU cannot order Turkey around, he may well soften his bluster if he gets the presidency he wants. Turkey
Head of pro-Sisi coalition denies attempts to take control of Egypt's parliament Saad al-Gamal, the head of the pro-government Support Egypt coalition, speaks to Al-Monitor about the most pressing issues facing parliament and responds to accusations of trying to take control of the legislature. Egypt
Hard-line cleric clinches Assembly of Experts leadership Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati has been elected to head Iran's Assembly of Experts, the body that will choose the next supreme leader of Iran. Iran
Amid decreasing aid, Sahrawis seek self-sufficiency A Sahrawi woman's successful business of producing traditional garments is helping other Western Sahara refugees support themselves in Algeria after decades of dependency on aid organizations. Algeria
Erdogan irked as major players snub humanitarian summit Turkey was expecting representatives from "all" countries to attend the first World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul. Syria
