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
AKP's views on sexuality create uproar President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s dream of raising a "pious generation" fails to deal with taboo matters of sexuality. Turkey
Turkey saves cats from extinction After two decades of arduous work, a university research center in eastern Turkey has saved the precious Van cats from extinction. Turkey
Turkey accused of escalating violence in Egypt Egyptians suspect Turkey of allowing Muslim Brotherhood affiliates to provoke violence in their country. Egypt
US-Israel relationship at lowest point Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's acceptance of US House Speaker's invitation to speak is viewed by some as a direct affront to President Barack Obama's international domestic interests. Palestine
Who is Saudi activist Raif Badawi? The author talks about Saudi activist Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes, as he has personally known him. Saudi Arabia
Syrian Kurdish journalists confront danger to report on war Kurdish journalists talked to Al-Monitor about their experiences on the battlefield in Syria's northeastern provinces. Syria
Report designates Tunisia first 'free' Arab country in decades Freedom House has ranked Tunisia as a "free" country, despite the political, economic and social challenges inherited from the dictatorship era. Tunisia
Hamas unwilling to jeopardize Palestinian reconciliation The Hamas-Fatah crisis in the Gaza Strip has reached a stalemate, with Hamas hesitant to take control of the Gaza Strip and risk being accused of undermining the Palestinian unity government. Palestine
Congress may re-examine special arms deals with Israel The US policy of giving Israel a Qualitative Military Edge policy over its neighbors has been called into question now that they are fighting on the same side against the Islamic State. Israel
What does Iran’s choice of UN envoy reveal? Iran's appointment of Gholamali Khoshroo as its UN envoy signals a desire for broader engagement with the West. Iran
Rouhani moves space program back to ministry Despite claims by conservative media outlets, President Hassan Rouhani's administration has not closed Iran's space program but returned its direction to the original ministry. Iran
Will 'Kurdish Spring' redraw Middle East map? A critic looks at “Kurdish Spring: A New Map for the Middle East,” a new book by David Phillips that could become a main reference on the Kurdish struggle. Iraq
