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
Clans play decisive role in Iraqi elections Given the weakness of the central state and a lack of overall security, citizens have continued to rely on clans and tribal affiliations, something that will play a significant role in upcoming parliamentary elections. Countries
Pressure grows for Gul to be more assertive There are some who see Abdullah Gul as a better bet than Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the presidency and the future of the Justice and Development Party. Turkey
Will Lebanon have to start from scratch to form new government? As the governmental vacuum persists and Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam fails to reach a consensus among rival parties, it seems likely that the cabinet formation process may start over. Lebanon
Iranian activist lauds rise of 'citizen journalism' in Iran In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, prominent Iranian journalist-activist Isa Saharkiz discusses politics and reform under President Hassan Rouhani. Iran
Relations among Syrian Kurdish parties hit new low The Kurdistan National Council (KNC) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) are in dispute over power-sharing arrangements. Syria
Iran opens new chapter in relations with Russia While Moscow and Tehran have historically been neither friend nor foe, and challenges remain, shared interests on Syria, counterterrorism, security and energy could move Iran and Russia increasingly toward more comprehensive strategic cooperation. Turkey
New Iraqi retirement law full of loopholes After popular protests against very generous retirement plans for Iraqi state officials, a new and better retirement law was passed, but it still has many loopholes. Iraq
Egyptians resist through art In the wake of the January 25 Revolution, young Egyptians have turned to art to express their views while freedoms are being severely restricted. Egypt
Syrian Kurds courting Turkmens Security and the future role of Syrian Turkmens depend on alliance with Kurds. Syria
High Court's freeze on rabbinical funding: a wake-up call for Lapid The Israeli High Court halted funding of rabbinical colleges until enlisting obligations of the ultra-Orthodox are defined by law, thus highlighting the failure of Finance Minister Yair Lapid to bring about this change. Israel
Will the Iraqi Jewish archive be off-limits to Jews? The restored Iraqi Jewish archive may soon leave the United States for Baghdad, making this piece of Jewish heritage almost inaccessible to Jews. Iraq
UNRWA struggles to deliver as poverty rises in Gaza UNRWA has again cut or halted food aid to thousands of Palestinians as it struggles to keep up with rising poverty rates due to the Israeli-Egyptian siege on Gaza and crisis situations elsewhere. Palestine
