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
Malta, Israel's new gateway to Europe Malta, one of Israeli tourists' prime destinations, stands out for its exceptional Maltese-European citizenship sale for rich immigrants and for having the highest number of asylum seekers per capita in Europe. Israel
Opposition claims Erdogan may be media owner Leaked investigation documents suggest Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have an ownership interest in media companies. Turkey
Lebanon government talks stall again Developments at the Geneva II conference and in the Western-Iranian nuclear talks may have stalled Lebanon’s government formation Lebanon
Rajoub: an agreement with Israel is within reach In an interview with Al-Monitor, Fatah senior official Jibril Rajoub is optimistic on peace talks: "If the Israelis are willing, creative solutions can be found for everything.” Palestine
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox key to peace In an interview with Al-Monitor, ultra-Orthodox strategic expert Itzik Sudri claims that the ultra-Orthodox should be integrated as more active partners to the diplomatic process, considering their politically moderate worldview. Palestine
Hamas isolated as Iran boosts ties with Islamic Jihad, Fatah A high-level Islamic Jihad delegation visited Iran one week after a senior Fatah official made a similar trip, leaving Hamas isolated. Palestine
Iraqi election commission in spotlight Although the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq has established itself as a relatively credible and transparent organization, there are concerns that the upcoming parliamentary elections could be plagued by fraud. Iraq
The political roots of the Anbar crisis The current crisis in Iraq’s Anbar province can only be solved through a political solution. Iraq
Controversy surrounds alleged Iraq-Iran arms deal An Iraqi diplomat has been reported as claiming that Baghdad will sign an arms deal with Iran, but other officials from both sides refute his alleged assertions. Iraq
ISIS, al-Qaeda compete for supremacy in global jihad The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has emerged as a major challenger to al-Qaeda as the leading brand in the global militant jihad movement. Syria
Poverty rates on the rise in Iraq The security crisis in Anbar and the crisis in governance have contributed to a declining Iraqi economy. Iraq
Energy reserves add new twist to Cyprus talks The negotiations over the future of Cyprus are linked to energy reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean. Israel
