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
President Suleiman's remaining time in office As possible elections to replace Lebanese President Michel Suleiman loom in May, the head of state shows his resoluteness to fulfill his duties. Lebanon
Iraqi weapons market surges during Syria conflict The illegal weapons trade in Iraq has seen a spike in activity as armed sectarian militias grow more numerous and weapons are smuggled into Syria. Iraq
14 Egyptian women will rejoin student protests after release from jail In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor following their release, young women from the Saba al-Sobh Movement who were arrested during a protest in Alexandria say they will continue to oppose military rule. Egypt
Iraq’s sectarian militias assume larger role Having instilled fear in local populations, Sunni and Shiite militias across Iraq maintain an iron fist over the daily affairs of Iraqi citizens. Iraq
Twitter sheikhs of Saudi Arabia From the “Dear Abby” sheikh to the more conservative, a wide range of Saudi clerics now have millions of Twitter followers. Saudi Arabia
Nasrallah hints at change in approaches to US, Lebanon In a recent interview, Hassan Nasrallah signaled Hezbollah's possible willingness to reconsider its relations with the United States and accept full integration into the Lebanese state. Lebanon
Haniyeh turns to Gaza's intelligentsia In meetings with Gazan's intellectuals, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh sought opinions on the Strip’s most pressing issues from those outside the movement. Palestine
Syrian and Iraqi Kurds more divided over Syria The Syria war is proving to be a divisive, rather than unifying, force among the Kurds of Iraq and Syria. Iraq
Academic boycott of Israel should open dialogue The vote by the American Studies Association to boycott Israeli academic institutions is a protest that should be heard at the highest levels of the US government. Palestine
Cosmetics boom in Iran Iranian woman use cosmetics at an increasing pace, increasing the demand even for counterfeit products. Saudi Arabia
Turkey-Israel ties await 'normalization' For now, both Turkey and Israel may prefer the status quo. Israel
Hamas, Israel develop unwritten understanding for coexistence Common interests have resulted in Israel and Hamas establishing channels of communication for cooperation. Palestine
