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
US options for sanctions relief on Iran According to a top expert on US sanctions against Iran, President Barack Obama can provide significant relief by waiving many penalties and allowing a major piece of sanctions legislation to “sunset” before he leaves office. Iran
Lebanon’s World Cup 'crisis' A dispute over broadcasting rights has led the Lebanese to temporarily ignore political crises and focus on ways to watch World Cup games. Lebanon
Netanyahu's kidnapping nightmare leads to refocus on Hamas For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers may vindicate his tough stance on Hamas. Palestine
Iran wins again in Iraq The Islamic Republic of Iran does not mind Iraq being divided into thirds, if that is the outcome. Iraq
Russia will not be a spoiler in Iraq The United States should not expect much help from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Iraq
Christian Arabs wrestle with Israeli identity Israel's Christian citizens have found a safe haven in Israel, compared with other states in the region. Israel
Iran, US can end Iraq crisis, says Rouhani adviser Hamid Aboutalebi, deputy chief of staff for political affairs for President Hassan Rouhani, said that Iran has not ruled out cooperation with the United States over Iraq. Iraq
Turkey should close its border to ISIS The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has depended on the Turkish border for its operations in Syria; US Sen. Tim Kaine offers a blueprint for US-Egypt ties; Al-Monitor’s Year in Review and Back Channel. Iraq
Iraqi Kurds maneuver between Maliki and Mosul The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq may have gained some leverage on Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki for now, but the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) may be trouble in the future. Iraq
Will Turkey and Iran find common ground in Iraq? Developments in Iraq, coming soon after a visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Turkey, might be forcing a change in Turkey's approach to jihadist groups. Iraq
Iraq’s Sunni divide may be too great Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki never implemented promised reforms to integrate and share power with Iraq’s Sunni communities. Iraq
Turkey paying price for jihadist highway on border The hostage crisis in Mosul is the boomerang effect of Ankara’s policy of opening its borders to jihadists. Iraq
