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
Can Obama wake Saudis from their dream of continued dominance? US President Barack Obama is expected to attempt some delicate diplomacy when he visits Riyadh this month: mending fences with Arab allies while still urging them to pick up the pace in fighting terrorism. Saudi Arabia
Congress cool on Kurdistan bailout KRG leaders’ Capitol Hill trek yields lots of praise but no promises. Iraq
Can indie films spark social dialogue in rural Egypt? Despite obstacles, the Egyptian civil society group Cinema Everywhere Initiative is screening independent films to help broaden the cultural horizons of underprivileged citizens in Upper Egypt. Egypt
EU report ruffles Turkey's feathers The European Parliament chastises itself for delaying the release of a progress report in which it condemns Turkey's many human rights violations. Turkey
Turkey's 'Campus Witches' take on sexual harassers A growing group of feminist university students in Turkey is taking direct and aggressive action to confront men accused of harassment and sexual assault. Turkey
Why Israel wants these bedouins to pay for their village's demolition After demolishing the unrecognized Bedouin village of al-Araqib in the Negev region for the 96th time since 2010, Israel is now seeking for villagers to pay damages in compensation for the recurrent demolition work in a bid to force them out and implement the Prawer Plan. Palestine
Israeli envoy reflects on time at UN In an interview with Al-Monitor, Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, shares insights into the issue he deals with daily, including cyber warfare, terrorism and raising alarms about Hezbollah. Palestine
Iranian official says Nusra, not IS, main threat to West The tug of war in Syria will grind on as political talks appear to be going nowhere. Syria
'Imamization' raising eyebrows in Turkey The Religious Affairs Directorate has begun subcontracting imams to other government agencies, raising questions about their ultimate purpose. Turkey
Central Bank governor: Iran expects access to US financial system In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iranian Central Bank Governor Valiollah Seif said Iran has made economic progress even before the lifting of sanctions and invited American companies to compete with Europeans in trading with and investing in Iran. Iran
How Hamas plans to boost its declining popularity The Hamas movement hopes a new exchange deal with Israel for the release of Palestinian prisoners will reverse its declining popularity among Palestinians. Palestine
Will the true culprits surface in Lebanon's infamous Internet racket? Officials are investigating claims of corruption and espionage in Lebanon's Internet management. Israel
