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 Israel supports US monopoly on peace talks Egypt, the Palestinians and even the United States itself favor greater involvement by Quartet members in restarting a more even-handed, two-state solution process. Palestine
Has Erdogan confused freedom of expression with spying? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan takes a swipe at the authority of Turkey's high court by criticizing its decision to free journalists he says are spies. Turkey
Syrian Kurdish leader calls for federal state In an interview with Al-Monitor, Akram Hesso, the Kurdish head of Syria's Jazeera canton, spoke about the Syrian Kurds' relations with regional and international players as well as a model for federal rule in Syria. Syria
How much support did Turkey provide to Syrian opposition? The Turkish prime minister claimed that Turkey has done more than Arab countries to aid the Syrian rebels, though he stopped short of providing details about Turkey's "support." Syria
Another Hamas-Fatah reconciliation agreement bites the dust The latest meetings in Doha to promote the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas may not reach the desired results, as Egypt, which has always been a sponsor of such meetings, might not allow this. Qatar
Iran stakes out position ahead of PA collapse Iran's renewed interest in the occupied territories indicates that, unlike Israel, it is preparing for the possible collapse of the Palestinian Authority. Palestine
Will Abadi put his money where his mouth is? Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s contemplated Cabinet reshuffle to include technocrats and academics seems to be impossible in light of the sectarian political system in the country and the prevailing scepticism about this step among the political class. Iraq
As economic crisis continues, will Kurdish peshmerga desert? The situation of the peshmerga forces in Iraq's Kurdistan Region is precarious in the absence of coordination with the Iraqi government and the economic crisis that has left them long unpaid. Iraq
Why so many US presidents have failed to bring Middle East peace Attempts by a long line of American presidents, both Democrats and Republicans, to broker an accord between Israelis and Palestinians or promote initiatives to end the conflict have hinged more on timing than anything else. Palestine
Rouhani empowered as allies, supporters make gains in Iranian elections Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is set to have an easier last 15 months of his term due to voters' support of what Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami and Seyyed Hassan Khomeini stand for. Iran
Why is Iran arresting more dual nationals? If the Iranian government fails to address the arbitrary arrests of dual citizens, the circumstances will certainly undermine the vast potential that the Iranian diaspora and international business have in helping develop Iran. Iran
How much change do Iranians really want? Iranians want a lot of things. What they don’t want is to be told that their vote doesn’t count or that it doesn’t matter. Iran
