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
Egypt's atheists find each other on social media Atheism is still a target for immense criticism in Egypt, and some have gone to jail for “contempt of religion.” Egypt
Iran’s former intelligence minister discusses clash with Ahmadinejad Former Iranian Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi has commented on his near-firing by former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a conflict that revealed deep divisions between Iran’s conservatives. Iran
Attacks on Lebanese patriarch’s Jerusalem visit unjustified Media attacks against Lebanon Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai’s upcoming visit to Jerusalem are based on an antiquated logic, and may be aimed at diverting attention from other issues. Lebanon
Egyptian women scared to speak out against sexual harassment Sexual harassment leads all crimes against Egyptian women, and experts say it is abetted by toothless laws, lax enforcement and societal acceptance of the phenomenon. Egypt
Iraq faces challenge to find solution for growing slums With Baghdad’s slums accommodating more than 2 million people, a solution to the housing crisis needs to be part of an urban planning strategy, something that previous governments ignored when distributing land to the poor. Iraq
Israel's halfhearted independence celebration Israel is losing its modest and secular character in favor of a more religious and material society. Palestine
Can social media sway Egypt's youth vote? The current presidential election campaigns in Egypt have witnessed an unprecedented use of the Internet and social media as a means of targeting young voters. Egypt
Does Erdogan really want Gulen in Turkey? Turkish Prime Minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan is calling for Fethullah Gulen's extradition from the United States to Turkey, but he should be careful what he wishes for. Turkey
Syrian Kurd leader urges Turkey to join fight against jihadists In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Syrian Kurdish leader Salih Muslim says his Democratic Union Party will not participate in Syria’s presidential elections, and questions why the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq is not helping Syria’s Kurds. Iraq
Former IRGC commander’s comments on Syria censored After a former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corp commented about Hezbollah and the formation of an Iranian committee to help rebuild Syria, the story was censored and the article removed. Iran
On Independence Day, Netanyahu caves to right wing To ensure his seat and his political future, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu adopts the bill defining Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, raising “a white flag of surrender to the right wing and the settlers.” Palestine
Iran seeks Shiite consensus on next Iraqi premier Iran would prefer that Nouri al-Maliki serve a third term as Iraqi prime minister, but will also give priority to a consensus among the Iraqi Shiite parties. Iraq
