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 soaring sculptress Turkish Jewish sculptor Nadia Arditti has emerged as one of Turkey’s leading artistic voices abroad since she returned home after pogroms forced her family to flee the country in the 1950s. Turkey
Israel should be wary of Hamas' truce proposal The dire situation in Gaza has apparently prompted Hamas' political leaders to offer Israel a long-term cease-fire, but the dominance of the movement's military wing casts doubt on such a truce holding. Palestine
Hana Salah on why she writes Al-Monitor contributor Hana Salah shares her thoughts on journalism. Palestine
Israel tightens control on Erez crossing The Israeli authorities have arrested at the Erez crossing Palestinian and Israeli merchants who were accused of smuggling prohibited goods to the resistance in Gaza, which is said to be using these materials to rebuild the tunnels destroyed during the war in summer 2014. Palestine
How Iranian women are using Sharia to their benefit Given the important role that religion plays in Iran, Iranian women are working within the system to gain rights and achieve equality. Iran
Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia inch toward resolving Nile dam crisis During the closed negotiations held in Khartoum, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia agreed on a plan to find technical solutions to the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Egypt fears threatens its share of the Nile. Egypt
Financial burden, risk of violence pressure Syrian girls to marry Syrian refugee girls in Jordan are being forced to get married at a young age, either to escape sexual violence that is widely spread in refugee camps or to ease the financial troubles of their families. Jordan
Why is Israel still blind to settler violence against Palestinians? Despite resolutions by Israeli administrations to adopt the 2003 Road map for Peace and the Sason report on illegal West Bank outposts, settler violence against Palestinians continues unabated. Palestine
Would 'sunset' of nuclear deal end restrictions on Iran? The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty would restrain Iran's actions in several ways after the terms of a prospective nuclear deal expire. Iran
Gazan women surge ahead with startups Young, educated women in the Gaza Strip are among the most likely to be unemployed in an area where nearly half of people are out of work, as many of these women are now turning to business incubators to find funding and support to build their own businesses. Palestine
Pinar Tremblay on why she writes Al-Monitor contributor Pinar Tremblay shares her thoughts on journalism. Turkey
Did Erdogan undermine Gul? Turks question why President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it would be good for former President Abdullah Gul to run for parliament. Turkey
