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
Islamic State tightens grip on Libya An Al-Monitor correspondent recently visited Libya and found his homeland sinking deeper into despair and dysfunction and possibly sliding toward disintegration. North Africa
Sahl al-Ghab emerges as main focus of Syrian rebels' fight against regime Syria’s Sahl al-Ghab region is of strategic importance to the Syrian opposition factions that have been trying to weaken the Assad regime whose largest pool of supporters is based there. Lebanon
Rafsanjani's son enters prison amid media circus Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani's son, entered Evin prison to serve a 10-year sentence for corruption. Iran
Declining Israeli prison conditions may escalate tension with Palestine Sanctions imposed on Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails have pushed prisoners to go on a hunger strike until their demands are met. Palestine
Egypt’s state-owned media ripe for restructuring The Egyptian Radio and Television Union has had major financial losses, mainly due to its $2.8 billion debt to National Investment Bank, which is why the government launched a restructuring plan. Egypt
How Iran deal could bring multilateralism to Middle East As the Joint Cooperative Plan of Action comes into effect, the region could see the emergence of a new era of greater cooperation by all regional actors, including Iran. Syria
Iraq's disabled lack basic help The number of Iraqis with special needs is growing in light of ongoing wars and sectarian conflicts, while they face a lack of adequate physical and psychological rehab centers. Iraq
Ankara warms to idea of political solution in Syria Ankara seems to be growing more amenable to a solution that includes the Syrian regime, unhappy about perceptions that it has used the international effort against the Islamic State as an excuse to resume strikes against the Kurdistan Workers Party. Syria
Islamic State ups rhetoric against Ankara Following a Turkish-American deal allowing US warplanes to use Incirlik Air Base in the fight against the Islamic State, the terrorist group has lashed out at the ruling AKP government. Syria
Netanyahu's coalition stable ... for now Despite predictions that the coalition will break up in the coming months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu feels confident that he can get the budget approved at the Knesset, at which time perhaps opposition parties might join the coalition. Israel
Inside the secret US-Iran diplomacy that sealed nuke deal Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei authorized direct talks with the United States on the nuclear issue as early as 2011, but real progress was not made until Hassan Rouhani, unaware of the talks, came into office in August 2013, US and Iranian officials say. Iran
Going gluten-free in Gaza Gluten-sensitive Gazans do not have easy access to flour they can easily digest, but two researchers have recently developed a gluten-free wheat that can be produced locally. Palestine
