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
High school cheating scandal extends through Jordan, Sudan, Egypt A group of Jordanian high school students were caught cheating during exams in Sudan, sparking a diplomatic crisis between Amman and Khartoum that pulled Egypt into the mess as well. Egypt
Why more and more Israeli Druze prefer prison to military service In the past few years, more Israeli Druze have been refusing to join the Israeli army as part of the compulsory military service, because they now feel more in touch with their Arab and Palestinian roots. Palestine
Why Gaza's militant groups are cozying up to one another Hamas is getting closer with the militias of Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees in an attempt to unify forces and benefit from Iranian support. Palestine
Is Israel inching closer to fascism? Talking to Al-Monitor, professor Zeev Sternhell warns that the values of democracy and liberalism, on which the State of Israel was founded, are being eroded by the nationalistic approach of the Israeli right. Israel
Israeli pioneer fashion returns to Tel Aviv The newly rebooted Ata fashion line is finding a market in the young generation with its unique brand of Israeli utilitarianism and nostalgia for the early days of the state. Israel
US officials circle globe to explain Iran policy but fail to persuade Obama administration officials are making strenuous efforts to convince foreign banks that they can return to Iran, but are failing to overcome fears of heavy fines and new sanctions. Iran
The downfall of two Iranian tycoons Iranian lawmaker Amir-Abbas Soltani told Al-Monitor that Iranian-Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab intentionally visited the US, knowing he would be detained, to avoid being arrested in Turkey and extradited to Iran. Turkey
How Netanyahu betrayed the IDF Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demonstrates again and again how his political survival is more important to him than the strength and credibility of the Israel Defense Forces. Israel
Leaked Gaza war report sparks 'war of generals' in Israel The partially leaked state comptroller report of the 2014 Protective Edge operation triggered political clashes and also a war of mutual accusations amid IDF generals. Palestine
More than 100 Iran MPs ask Rouhani to stop nuclear deal implementation Members of the current conservative-led parliament have signed a written warning to President Hassan Rouhani asking that he return Iran’s nuclear program to previous levels before the nuclear deal if US "obstruction" continues. Iran
Just how independent is Egypt's parliament? The speaker of the Egyptian parliament has caused an uproar by suggesting that in "tough times" the legislative and executive branches should act as one. Egypt
Turkish military faces secularism test As the popularity of religious vocational schools increases, the ban on the enrollment of imam-hatip graduates into military schools is being questioned. Turkey
