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
Disqualified candidates spark controversy in Iraq Newly issued judicial decisions, which prevent certain persons from running in the upcoming elections due to outstanding lawsuits against them, have caused a heated debate in Iraq. Iraq
Maliki, parliament in legal battle over budget As the debate over the general budget continues in the Iraqi parliament, the government has gone to the judiciary for permission to disburse funds allocated to operating expenses. Iraq
Lebanese factions seek unity against terrorism threat After the new Lebanese government secures parliament’s official blessing, it may have the political cover to act militarily to address troubling security problems. Lebanon
Peace talks could benefit from implementing previous agreements Advancing negotiations can be greatly assisted by trust-building measures, namely fulfilling older agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinians. Palestine
Hamas seeks to retain Saudi ties despite Brotherhood ban Hamas is hoping to escape the anti-Brotherhood wave sweeping the Gulf and is trying to stay on good terms with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
US-Russia confrontation could drift to Mideast The question is whether Iran, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia, in particular, will change their policies in the context of the US-Russia standoff. Saudi Arabia
Gul rebuts Erdogan’s international conspiracy claims Turkish President Abdullah Gul supports an open and transparent investigation into allegations of corruption, saying, “There must be no suspicions left with regard to corruption.” Turkey
Israeli Labor MP slams Lapid as 'crony capitalist' In an interview with Al-Monitor, Labor Knesset member Merav Michaeli refreshes Israelis' minds about the Palestinian eagerness to reach an agreement and the European Union that offered Israel a relationship package which did not make it to the press, unlike the boycott talks. Palestine
Hakim warns about politicization of Iraqi army In an interview with Al-Monitor, the head of the Islamic Supreme Council Ammar al-Hakim speaks about his conceptions for the Iraqi state and says that the Anbar crisis cannot be solved via a military solution. Iraq
Israel sets new red lines with Syria The Israeli government prefers that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces keep the Golan quiet, while making clear it will not tolerate any game-changing weapons transfers to Hezbollah. Israel
Yabrud victory a setback for Lebanon’s security While Hezbollah was celebrating the victory in Yabrud, another stronghold of the Shiite resistance was targeted by a suicide attack, which raised questions about the repercussions of the victory on Lebanon. Lebanon
What is the US discussing with the Muslim Brotherhood? Egyptians are puzzled why the Obama administration and some in Congress are sending mixed signals on US aid to Egypt while appearing to maintain a quiet dialogue with the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt
