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
Shiites, Sunnis unite to denounce and condemn extremists The recent surge of Islamist extremists movements has had a positive effect in uniting Shiite and Sunni clerics, from Tehran to Cairo, to denounce the waves of intolerance and radicalism. Saudi Arabia
Egypt's June 30 coalition loses support Hamdeen Sabahi, a former presidential candidate, is leading a movement to boycott the final stages of the June 30 coalition talks to finalize a road map for Egypt in light of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s newest policies and the acquittal of former President Hosni Mubarak. Egypt
Arab states try to delay Palestinian UN bill The Palestinian leadership is determined to submit its bill to the UN Security Council, despite pressure from some Arab states to delay it, and French moves to replace it with a European draft bill. Palestine
Middle East dictators feed sectarianism To assess why the Arab world is increasingly torn apart by violence in the name of sectarian identity and solidarity, we must focus on the abysmal strategies of patron-client dictatorships and economic inequality. Legacy: Gulf
Meshaal: Hamas' West Bank resistance will continue Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal told Al-Monitor in an interview that Hamas will continue to develop resistance in the West Bank against the Israeli occupation. Palestine
Israeli attack intensifies Syrian anger, despair Syrians on social media mock “right to respond”; US says Syrian rebels will not overthrow Assad; Syrian patriarch pleads for peace; Russia steps up diplomacy; Jumblatt sees no future for Assad; Turkey’s shadow government; Qatar and Turkey draw congressional ire over support for Hamas. Qatar
Washington, Europe will wait to see if Bibi stays or goes Until the March 2015 elections in Israel, the United States and Europe will attempt to balance nonintervention and expressing policy positions relevant to the Palestinian issue. Palestine
Egyptians struggle to return to Libya Egyptian nationals would rather go to Libya for the chance to find work than live in poverty in their own country. Egypt
Syrian patriarch: To help Christians, stop flow of weapons Orthodox leader John X tells Al-Monitor that outside powers must stop interfering if the Middle East is to heal. Syria
The true power couple of the Israeli elections Former Minister Moshe Kahlon’s quiet alliance with Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman is part of a move that might crown them as kingmakers who will determine Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fate. Israel
Energy deals may make Turkey irreversibly reliant on Moscow Despite the celebratory sentiment in Ankara after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit, Turkey’s energy dependence on Russia is bound to further increase with nuclear power plant projects. Turkey
Iran's role in Yemen draws Israel, Saudi Arabia closer The Houthi takeover of the Yemen port city, the tribe's strong ties to Iran and its latest contacts with Palestine Islamic Jihad have both Israel and Saudi Arabia worried. Saudi Arabia
