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
Iran Export-Led Growth Strategy Depends on Sanctions Relief The government of President Hassan Rouhani is seeking to boost Iranian exports in order to grow the economy. Iran
UN Envoy on Yemen Deserves Spotlight Jamal Benomar, special adviser on Yemen to the UN secretary-general, has succeeded with a difficult brief. Yemen
Syrian Opposition Leader Rejects Iran Role in Syria Conference In an interview with Al-Monitor, Salem al-Meslet, vice president of National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, calls for the "London 11" group to relieve the humanitarian crisis in Ghouta. Syria
Saudi Prince Turki: 'High Level of Disappointment' With US Over Syria In an interview with Al-Monitor, the former intelligence chief for Saudi Arabia says it's “up to the Iranians to show that their sweet and sensible talk is going to be translated into action.” Saudi Arabia
At 68, Has The UN Reached the Age of Wisdom? On the 68th anniversary of its founding, the UN is still the only body that can tackle today's complex international problems. Lebanon
Turkey’s Online 'Halal' Sex Shop Draws Ridicule, Criticism The Turkish media's response to the nation's first "halal" online sex shop has been a mixture of criticism and ridicule. Turkey
Knesset Opens with Populist Bills Going Nowhere Populist legislation, spotlighted by the news media, emerged from the right and left of the governing coalition after the Knesset winter session began, but no dramatic change should be expected. Israel
Turkey’s Spymaster: The Making of a Hero An impressive campaign by Hakan Fidan’s media team has made almost an entire nation worship him. Israel
Haniyeh Torn Between Honor And Gaza's Survival With the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas has found itself isolated and dependent on Israel for Gaza's daily survival. Palestine
Malta Sinking Highlights Palestinian Resentment Toward Leadership Following the death of dozens of Palestinian refugees after a boat headed for Europe sank off the Malta coast, popular discontent toward the inefficiency of Palestinian leaders’ efforts to protect their people has surfaced. Palestine
Israel's Next Best Thing? It's Bibi Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains the only stable factor in the Middle East, with no potential successor jeopardizing his leadership. Israel
Palestinians Protest Israeli Gentrification In Acre Palestinian residents of Acre have protested against the Israeli government’s decision to sell an old khan to investors. Israel
