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
Rouhani adviser denies he called for Iran's return to empire President Hassan Rouhani's Ethnic and Religious Minorities adviser had called for a union between the countries bordering Iran, to wide criticism in the Arab-language media. Iran
Concerns rise over plots to oust Abbas With security tensions on the rise in the West Bank, there is talk of conspiracy in which Hamas, Israel and ex-Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan are spreading chaos with the goal of toppling President Mahmoud Abbas. Palestine
Esperance Ghanem on why she writes Al-Monitor contributor Esperance Ghanem shares her thoughts on journalism. Lebanon
From housewife to Kurdish peace negotiator Once a housewife, Pervin Buldan rose to the forefront of Kurdish politics, driven by her husband’s extrajudicial murder, and is now a member of the team involved in the talks between Ankara and jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Turkey
Erdogan fined $3,800 for insulting peace monument A Turkish court has ordered President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pay compensation for disparaging a statue dedicated to Turkish-Armenian friendship as a "monstrosity," leading to its demolition. Turkey
Bibi's fantastic feats of flip-flopping Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personality allows him to promise things but not follow through, and at the end of the day, he will always return to his political base on the right. Palestine
Israel's unpredictable voters Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other politicians react to polls that indicate a growing trend over the past few elections, where an increasing number of voters remain undecided until they arrive at the ballot box. Israel
Imprisoned IS members open up to Lebanese social workers Two Lebanese sisters have been taking great risks to research the reasons people turn to extremism, interviewing members of IS, al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups in Roumieh prison for their side of the story. Lebanon
Jordan UN ambassador: Arab women don't fit single image Jordan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Dina Kawar, talks to Al-Monitor about being a role model for women in Jordan and fighting for women's issues at a regional level. Jordan
10 Middle Eastern writers you should know These 10 female writers are challenging conceptions of women in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia
Rina Bassist on why she writes Al-Monitor contributor Rina Bassist shares her thoughts on journalism. Israel
Ultra-Orthodox scene bursting with kosher fashion Young Israeli ultra-Orthodox fashion designers prove that a woman can dress stylishly, even within limits of religious modesty. Israel
