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
Head of Egypt’s Nour Party bloc speaks out In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ahmed Khalil, the head of the Islamist Nour Party’s parliamentary bloc, speaks about the party’s role and plans in the legislature. Egypt
Why this election of Iran's Assembly of Experts is more important than ever The next Assembly of Experts is also being selected this election season, and this one has a good chance of determining the next supreme leader of Iran. Iran
'Special messages' aside, Iran's S-300 missiles still up in air Despite the increasing regional cooperation between Iran and Russia, the Tehran-Moscow relationship is marred by distrust over the long-stalled S-300 air defense missile deal. Russia
How one Kurdish woman went from child soldier to Swedish lawmaker Swedish parliamentarian Amineh Kakabaveh tells Al-Monitor about her remarkable journey from Kurdish guerrilla camps in Iraq’s mountains to the rostrum of European politics. Iraq
To stop tourism slump, Erdogan asks Turks to holiday at home Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is asking Turks to spend their holidays in Turkey, to alleviate the loss in revenue of Russian tourists who will not travel to Turkey this year. Turkey
Iraq begins construction on Baghdad wall While the central Iraqi government claims that a wall is needed around the capital for security reasons, Sunnis suspect that Baghdad is being isolated in preparation for annexation to a Shiite region. Iraq
Will economic aid rebuild trust between Israelis, Palestinians? Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara are advancing an economic package designed to improve the lives of Palestinian youth. Palestine
Will Saudi Arabia pressure Jordan to join ground offensive in Syria? There is increasing talk about a land war in Syria to combat the Islamic State, but the Jordanians thus far appear reluctant to get involved. Legacy: Gulf
The mysterious meeting between Abbas and Sisi In a November meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, with his "road map," demanded that Fatah reconcile with Hamas and that Abbas reconcile with former Fatah senior Mohammed Dahlan. Palestine
Right wing declares open season on IDF chief of staff Politicians on the Israeli right seeking political advantage have attacked Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot for merely stating IDF rules of engagement. Palestine
Everything you need to know about this week's elections in Iran Thousands of contenders are rushing to make use of Iran's short campaigning window in a contest that will determine crucial support for President Hassan Rouhani's policy efforts. Iran
Does Hezbollah seek Israel’s elimination? 'Not so,' says Nasrallah Hezbollah leader says group will not open new front against Israel; Turkey’s two-front war; battles for Aleppo “unlike any others”; Saudi military exercise provides distraction. Saudi Arabia
