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
How Palestinian media contributes to cycle of incitement Young Palestinians are being influenced by misleading video clips aired on the PA's official TV network, presenting those who attack Israelis as victims. Palestine
Iraq struggles to combat evolving terrorist threat The Islamic State has developed a new way to conduct its terror operations, while the Iraqi government is unable to prevent security breaches. Iraq
Pro-Israel groups split over Obama's West Bank labeling requirements New guidance from the US Customs agency warns that it will be cracking down on settlement goods that say "Made in Israel." Palestine
Under pressure from Turkey, UN excludes PYD from Syria talks Turkey has won the battle over the Syrian Kurdish nationalist Democratic Union Party by blackmailing the United States into leaving the group out of the Geneva III talks. Syria
Will Egypt be able to dredge up support for new Suez canal? Officials say they are confident the new Suez Canal will be a moneymaker, but they’re working hard to promote it with an eye on its competition. Egypt
Will Iranians be able to increase voter turnout in the next election? Even though Iran's Reformist movement suffered a huge setback during the election qualification process, Reformist leaders are encouraging members to cast their votes. Iran
Cinema returns to Gaza after long absence As film theaters have been closed in Gaza since the 1987 intifada, movie directors are launching personal initiatives to try and revive the film industry and cinema in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Iranians launch boycott of Saudi businesses Following Saudi Arabia’s move to cut diplomatic and commercial ties with Iran, some Iranians have joined forces to launch a campaign against Saudi firms in the country — but is the boycott having any impact? Saudi Arabia
How fake news helps AKP propaganda Turkey’s pro-AKP media is presenting a counterfactual world to its readers; the latest example is "news" about the "FBI arrest" of 9/11 deniers. Turkey
Israeli leftist artists, the enemy within As far as Culture Minister Miri Regev is concerned, all intellectuals who do not agree with her right-wing agenda are enemies of the state. Israel
Meet one of Hezbollah's teen fighters As more young Lebanese Hezbollah fighters travel to Syria, Al-Monitor spoke with one of these boys about their reasons for waging jihad and the training they go through before joining the fight. Lebanon
Will Israeli Palestinians join their West Bank brethren? Discrimination and the lack of any hope for a two-state solution could push Arab-Israelis to join the uprising in the West Bank, much like the battle in 1947. Palestine
