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
Saudi-Qatar tensions divide GCC The announcement by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates that they are withdrawing their ambassadors to Qatar is a further sign of the deterioration in Saudi-Qatar ties and the fragmentation of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Saudi Arabia
Israeli workforce still dominated by men Unlike other Western countries, Israel invests little in daycare and maternity leave, which explains the concerning data in the state comptroller's latest report on the representation of women in the public service. Israel
An Israeli leftist finds glimmer of hope Can this common declaration, written by former Knesset member Einat Wilf and professor Mohammed S. Dajani Daoudi, unite Israelis and Palestinians around the divisive issue of Israel as a Jewish state and Palestine as the Palestinian people's homeland? Palestine
New Dostour Party leader shares her views on future of Egyptian politics Following her election as head of Egypt’s Dostour Party, Hala Shukrallah sits down with Al-Monitor to talk about political life in Egypt and the role of women in making social change. Egypt
Egypt faces drinking water shortage because of Nile pollution The growing Egyptian population is straining the country’s drinking water supply, which mainly comes from the Nile. Egypt
Iraqi youth turn to bingo-like game to forget their worries Dambala, a game similar to bingo, has become very popular in Baghdad, especially among the youth. Iraq
Netanyahu misreads Obama on settlements At his address to the AIPAC conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored the warning by US President Barack Obama that the continued settlement policy would isolate Israel even further. Palestine
US-Russia Mideast cooperation in balance over Ukraine? In the absence of a diplomatic settlement between the West and Russia over Ukraine, Moscow may seek to capitalize on recent gains in the Middle East at US expense. Near East
Yemeni ports see traffic decline dramatically Piracy and the rise of competing ports has cost Yemen’s Aden Port a lot of business. Yemen
Iraqi politicians must restore ethics to politics Recent political disputes and corruption have led Iraqi politicians to forgo their primary roles and focus on merely gaining power, money and influence. Iraq
Russia has Mideast options in response to Ukraine As the United States weighs its options in response to Russia’s moves in Crimea, Russia holds its own cards, especially with Syria and Iran. Syria
Iran-India energy ties may take off If the P5+1 and Iran agree on a nuclear accord, India’s energy sector stands to benefit. Iran
