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
Iran holds first ever fashion week Contrary to Western stereotypes, Iranian women are avid followers of fashion and increasingly prominent in an industry that they hope to expand even to US customers. Iran
Joint List isolates itself before elections The decision by Ayman Odeh, leader of the Joint List of predominantly Arab parties, to refuse a vote-sharing deal with the leftist Zionist Meretz Party might discredit his commitment to rebuild the bridges between Jews and Arabs. Israel
Will Herzog compromise party values to join government? According to his own statements, his openness to the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders threatens to prevent Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog from joining a Likud-led government after the elections. Palestine
Saudi Arabia prepares for Iran nuclear deal Saudi Arabia has been pulling out the diplomatic stops in an effort to contain Iran in anticipation of what it sees as an unfavorable nuclear deal between the West and the Islamic republic. Saudi Arabia
Obama administration: US 'will protect' Syrian rebel forces John Allen, US special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, suggests a deeper US military commitment in Syria; Turkey’s "precious loneliness"; Egypt closes 27,000 places of worship to counter militancy and extremism; Al-Monitor’s series on Women in the Middle East continues. Egypt
Why did Lebanon's security initiative fail? Lebanon's former director-general of General Security told Al-Monitor that his initiative to free the abducted Lebanese soldiers and to drive the Islamic State from Lebanon was welcomed by Syria but rejected by the United States and Lebanon. Lebanon
Conservative Gaza stifles female talent Many talented female singers gave up on their dream of professional singing because of the conservative society in Gaza and Hamas’ clampdown on female performers, whom they deem indecent. Palestine
Turkish Twitter user: Erdogan to target CHP-linked bank Fuat Avni, the handle of an anonymous Twitter user who has successfully revealed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s moves in the past, just issued another explosive prediction. Turkey
Senate seeks to unblock path for war on Islamic State A look at the Middle East issues Congress will address the week of March 9. Iraq
Is the Oslo process really over? The Palestinian Central Council announced the end of security cooperation with Israel, though many are skeptical that the decision will be implemented. Palestine
Hamas reacts to potential Egyptian attack Hamas is discussing steps it could take if Egypt decides to attack the Gaza Strip, as hinted by the Egyptian army, following the country's decision to declare Hamas a terrorist organization. Palestine
Egyptian workers endangered in Libya Poor Egyptian workers in Libya have been threatened and killed by Islamic militias, while Egypt has announced its official support for the Libyan army against the terrorists. Egypt
