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
Palestinian Authority in the hot seat A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Feb. 2. Palestine
French lawmaker: France acts as 'guardian' in US-Iran nuclear deal The chairwoman of the French Foreign Affairs panel tells Al-Monitor that the White House seems "eager to reach an agreement" quickly. Pan Arab
Nasrallah vows to confront Israel at any time and place In a broadcast speech, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah tried to re-establish deterrence with Israel after the two sides traded strikes. Israel
Hezbollah strike was 'minimum response,' warns Iran commander The commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also stated that Israel should 'await a stronger response.' Israel
Amal Clooney attracts attention at Armenian genocide trial The case before the European Court of Human Rights concerns the right of Dogu Perincek, the leader of the Turkish Workers Party, to deny that Armenians had suffered a genocide. Turkey
Turkey’s Central Bank caves on interest rates Under fire from the government and the president, Turkey’s Central Bank has abandoned its cautious approach and moved to lower interest rates. Turkey
Bennett went too far in plan to reshape his party The HaBayit HaYehudi chairman failed this week in transforming the traditional image of the party — from a sectorial, religious male-dominated one to a young, vibrant and an all-Israel party. Countries
Security issues become tool for delay Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security conditions for any future agreement with the Palestinians would preclude a Palestinian state all together. Palestine
Disputed Alawite village caught between Israel, Hezbollah In an interview with Al-Monitor, Bilal Khatib of the Ghajar municipal council explains the unique situation of the village; located on the Israel-Lebanon-Syria border and residents' fear of being targeted. Israel
Threat of violence silences Palestinian journalists In light of physical assaults and abuses in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, some Palestinian journalists are avoiding sensitive political and security issues. Palestine
Moderate Islam pushes back extremism Terrorist operations carried out by radical Islamic groups around the world and in the Middle East have had the unintended effect of promoting moderate Islam, particularly in Iran. Iraq
Congress takes first step on Iran sanctions The Senate Banking Committee voted 18-4 in favor of repercussions if talks drag on. Congress
