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
Syria's Kurds take control of oil fields, now what? After Kurdish forces took control of parts of northeastern Syria, they have found themselves facing many challenges, including the management of their oil wells. Syria
Decline in education threatens future Iraqi generations The lack of schools and large number of students in the same classroom have negatively affected the learning process and the future of Iraq’s new generation. Iraq
Palestinians pop up in Panama Papers The Panama Papers included many names from the Palestinian Authority, an institution already facing widespread allegations of corruption. Palestine
Why Israel is staying silent on Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict Despite its strong ties with Azerbaijan, Israel has kept silent on the conflict with Armenia out of wariness of raising the issue of occupation. Israel
Will Sisi, Muslim Brotherhood make peace? The return of an Islamic TV broadcaster who fled after the 2013 coup has raised the question whether reconciliation is possible between the Egyptian government and the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt
French FM speaks out on Middle East crises Newly appointed French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault speaks to Al-Monitor about the link between Europe's migrant crisis and the Syrian conflict, saying the European Union and France must shoulder their responsibilities to help solve the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Lebanon
Does Israel have justification to enter West Bank's Area A? Palestinians and Israelis disagree over the legality of the Israeli army pursuing Palestinian fugitives into Area A of the West Bank. Palestine
OIC conference begins with Iran-Saudi spat Iran’s foreign minister has condemned Saudi Arabia's attempts to introduce anti-Iranian resolutions ahead of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia
Does Jordan hold key to Palestinian independence? Palestinian researchers and activists are advancing the proposal of a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation, even though the Palestinian leadership fears that such a structure could harm future Palestinian sovereignty. Palestine
First Turkey-backed operation against IS becomes a fiasco Just days after Turkey-backed groups claimed victory against IS in Syria’s al-Rai, the area has fallen back under the extremist group’s control, supporting claims that cooperation with Kurdish forces is needed to defeat IS. Syria
Turkey’s new 4G mobile network comes with many dark clouds While the fourth-generation mobile data network arrived in Turkey this month, high costs, insufficient infrastructure and potential concerns from the government mean doubts remain about the extent to which it will benefit citizens. Turkey
Why Hamas needs a prisoner-swap deal with Israel Hamas seems to believe the only way to battle the frustration of Gaza residents over their desperate economic situation and corrupt leadership is to announce another prisoner exchange. Palestine
