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
Turkey’s joint front with Sunni Arabs, Kurds Ankara is developing a joint front with the Sunni Arabs and Kurds, and refuses to withdraw its troops from the Mosul area. Iraq
Will Syria become Russia's Vietnam? Israel is worried that the Russian submarine now patrolling near the Syrian coast will collect intelligence data on Israel, and fears Moscow’s Syrian adventure could drag on for a long time. Israel
The long road to labeling settlement products In a discussion with Al-Monitor, Charles Shamas, a Palestinian entrepreneur involved in exporting Palestinian products to Europe, traced the path to the European Union guidelines for labeling settlement products. Palestine
After Fayyad's visit, what's next for Hamas? Former Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s visit to the Gaza Strip has raised many eyebrows as to what Hamas is holding in store for its political opponents. Palestine
Will election of women open door to reform in Saudi Arabia? Now that women have been elected in Saudi Arabia, the United States should take advantage of this historic example and quietly encourage further reforms there. Saudi Arabia
Egypt's public sculptures hit rock bottom Egyptians have taken to social media to criticize and ridicule a number of newly erected public monuments, which they say are not up to professional artistic levels and disgrace the country’s prestigious history. Egypt
Turkey misfires in Iraq Turkey’s military deployment near Mosul provokes widespread opposition and sends Russia-Turkey ties into a further downward spiral; Turkey’s Kurds face "unrealistic prospect" for democracy; Barzani on the spot as a result of KRG alignment with Turkey; Russia slams Saudi hosting of Syrian opposition. Saudi Arabia
Tunisia’s LGBT activists push forward The LGBT community in Tunisia is seeking to abolish Article 230 — which bans sodomy and under which homosexuals are arrested — despite little support from the government and society. Tunisia
Kerry enlists Netanyahu in congressional fight over UNESCO funding Israel has dropped its opposition to restoring UNESCO budget despite Palestinian statehood vote. Congress
US presidential candidates speak out on Syria The leading US presidential candidates have differing positions on Syria, combating the Islamic State and the admission of Syrian refugees to the United States. Jordan
Turkey prepares for Trump presidency Many Turks believe Donald Trump will become the next US president, and that his animosity toward Muslims and other minorities represents not just popular but also official American views. Turkey
Why are Israeli ministers playing political games with poor children? Instead of reflexively blaming cuts to child benefits during the last government for growing poverty in Israel, Ministers Aryeh Deri and Moshe Kahlon should propose constructive measures and follow up on recommendations made in 2014. Israel
