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
Somalia's democracy a pleasant surprise The Arab League and the African Union should support the nascent democratic transition in Somalia. Lebanon
Israel’s foreign minister: 'We welcomed the agreement with Syria' In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman discusses US-Russian cooperation in the Middle East, Iran and Syria, and US-Israeli ties. Israel
Armed Salafist movement emerges in West Bank Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas are all concerned about the changes underway in the West Bank's Salafist movement, which is transforming itself from a welfare organization into an armed terrorist organization. Palestine
Erdogan tries to shake Sisi comparison as elections near The legacy of the Gezi Park protests, the Kurdish opening and tensions with the Gulen movement are generating a disparate opposition to Turkey's prime minister. Turkey
Iraqi politicians fail to convince voters change is possible While all of Iraq’s disparate political factions claim to seek the very change voters are demanding, none so far have taken any action to truly convince their electorates. Iraq
Sabahi won't run for Egypt presidency without NSF support In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Wafd Party leader Sayyid al-Badawi comments on the upcoming presidential elections, US aid to Egypt and his views on criticism directed at the current authorities. Egypt
Palestinian teachers strike over pay dispute Palestinian teachers in the West Bank have gone on a full strike, demanding a pay increase from the Ramallah government. Palestine
Egypt protests intensify after student death The killing of a student demonstrator is stoking further confrontations between police and protesters. Egypt
Egyptian protesters detained indefinitely Those arrested in the crackdown on supporters of former President Mohammed Morsi face seemingly indefinite incarceration. Egypt
Leak deepens AKP-Gulen rift The leaked National Security Council advisory ruling in 2004 about the state aiming to weaken the Gulen movement is another headache for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
