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
Larijani offers Iran's support in visit to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq Head of Iran's parliament Ali Larijani traveled to Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, where he met with top religious and political officials. Iraq
Egyptians criticize government's response to epidemics Lack of vaccines and slow response time has prompted many to accuse the Ministry of Health of not doing enough. Egypt
Postponing UN bid won't reverse Palestinian momentum The Palestinians need not worry about postponing the vote on their UN bid until after the Israeli elections, since even if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is re-elected, the push toward Palestinian statehood is inevitable. Palestine
Baghdad's 'blind eye' leads to IS routs in Anbar The Islamic State continues to extend its control in Anbar as the Iraqi army falls back. Iraq
Israeli expert: 'cyberspace has become a battlefield' In an interview with Al-Monitor, the head of the INSS Cyber Security Program, Gabi Siboni, states that after the recent hacking of Sony Pictures, Western countries should consider cyberattacks as a real threat to their sovereignty. Israel
Egypt keeps Salafist imams out of pulpits ahead of elections After cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian regime is now going after Salafists by restricting access to mosque pulpits. Egypt
Iraqi women don more conservative dress As religious conservatism rises in Iraq, women are going beyond the hijab to show their religious commitment and membership in their communities. Iraq
Student political groups face crackdown in West Bank The Palestinian Authority’s security forces have targeted student movements in West Bank universities. Palestine
Will Israel's Labor Party tackle economy or diplomacy? Ahead of the upcoming elections, social activist Yossi Yonah argues that the economic-existential concerns of the average Israeli worry him more than the issue of negotiating with the Palestinians. Israel
Swine flu cases rattle Gaza Cases of swine flu have emerged in Gaza, where hospitals are unprepared for an outbreak and health services continue to deteriorate. Palestine
Kurds draw pride from defense of Kobani Al-Monitor's visit to the besieged Syrian Kurdish border town of Kobani found Kurdish fighters optimistic about their chances of reclaiming the town and expelling Islamic State forces. Syria
Islamic State's female bloggers draw European women to Syria Posts about dinners, travel routes and Kalashnikovs are designed to encourage women to join up as teachers, nurses and wives. Iraq
