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
The Price of Peace: Releasing Palestinian Prisoners Yesterday's terrorists are today's heroes, whose release is essential to prevent the wars of tomorrow — in South Africa, Israel and Palestine. Palestine
Iraqi Politics Must Shake Legacy of Dictatorship Although it has been 10 years since Saddam Hussein was ousted by US forces, Iraqi politics remain mired in the legacy of dictatorship. Iraq
Iranian Patients Still Suffer From Sanctions on Medicine Despite the United States easing the ban on medicine, Iranian patients with serious illnesses continue to suffer from sanctions as well as government mismanagement. Iran
Turkey’s Missed Opportunities Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan might wish to retract some of his foreign policy decisions. Turkey
Turkey's Egypt Question Turkey's role in the Middle East will turn on how it handles the crisis in Egypt. Egypt
Signs of Seriousness In Israel-Palestine Peace Talks Despite the pessimism of pundits, there are indications that US Secretary of State John Kerry might not be wasting his time. Palestine
Protest Aftermath Stokes Anti-Government Anger in Turkey A judicial clampdown on demonstrators and lenient treatment of deadly police conduct hardens anti-government sentiment in the wake of Turkey’s protests. Turkey
Al-Monitor’s Gursel Wins Award; Watch US House on Syria Al-Monitor’s coverage of press freedom in Turkey, the US House of Representatives on Syria, and Iraq as possible mediator on Iran; Daoud Kuttab discusses the Middle East with Fareed Zakaria. Iraq
Egypt's Military Crackdown Threatens Civil War The United States has the only leverage left over Egypt’s military, and must use it to save the country from civil war. Egypt
Muslim World Must Declare Zero Tolerance for Militant Jihadists It is Muslims, not the West, who are paying the highest price for Islamist militancy. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan’s Egypt Policy In Disarray Egyptian Ambassador to Ankara Abderahman Salaheldin asks whether Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a principled approach to the Egyptian revolutions of 2011 and 2013. Turkey
Iran’s Renewable Energy Sector Poised for Growth Higher energy costs should be a boost for Iran’s renewable energy. Iran
