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
Is Jordan’s 'Arab Spring' Over? King Abdullah II seems to have weathered a storm, at least for now. Jordan
Iran’s Household Economics The Iranian government looks to control inflation, which is now surpassing 39%. Iran
Syria Crisis Prompts Turkey's New Openings to Its Alevis Turkey’s new liberalization package for its largest religious minority is linked to Syria. Syria
Obama’s Syria Policy Has Potential For Breakthrough on War Al-Monitor’s analysis and coverage of US policy toward Syria. Syria
Twenty Years After the Oslo Accords! What Now? With the Oslo Accords, there is the illusion of negotiations. Palestine
Rouhani’s Central Asia Policies In Spotlight at SCO Summit Iran’s Central Asia policies under Iranian President Hassan Rouhani come into focus at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrzygstan. Iran
Egypt Should Preserve Unity Among Disparate Parties The Egyptian government needs some political panache. Egypt
Israel-Egypt Forge New Ties Over Sinai The United States is no longer the glue between Israel and Egypt. Egypt
Syria War Paralyzes Region's Economies General instability in post-Arab Spring Middle Eastern countries, along with ongoing conflicts, has left the region's economic situation particularly dismal. Lebanon
How Did Turkey Lose Egypt? Statements by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the coup in Egypt have set back Egyptian diplomacy and popularity with the Egyptian street. Egypt
Court Case Reveals Turkey Arms Flow To Syrian Rebels The transfer of Turkish weapons to the Free Syrian Army is documented in a court case in Hatay. Syria
Turkish Opposition Builds Bridge to Egypt Two prominent diplomats affiliated with the Republican People's Party are trying to repair ties between Ankara and Cairo. Egypt
