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 New Era of Israeli-Arab Nazareth The youth of Nazareth, the largest Arab city in Israel, are determined to integrate into Israeli society, but only as equals among equals. Israel
Rouhani Win Could Reduce Iran-Saudi Tensions While Iran's President-elect Hassan Rouhani has said that improving relations with Saudi Arabia will be among his top priorities, no one should expect their mutual hostility to end completely. Saudi Arabia
Israel Tries to Game Rouhani Hassan Rouhani's victory in the Iranian presidential elections caught Israel and the West by surprise. Israel
Israeli Right Takes On Two-State Solution Some young Israeli right-wing politicians have mastered public discourse against the two-state solution, suggesting even annexation and citizenship for the West Bank's Palestinians. Palestine
Israelis Set Table to Talk Peace Col. (Res.) Shaul Arieli recounts his first-of-its-kind initiative of opening simultaneous discussion tables throughout Israel, for people to talk about peace. Palestine
Turkey’s Declining Image Alarms Gul President Abdullah Gul worries about the costs for Turkey of toeing the line that the protests are part of a “grand international and domestic conspiracy.” Turkey
Iraq to Receive Russian Military Helicopters The Iraqi government is expanding its armed forces. Iraq
Gaza Students Prepare for Finals Without Electricity High schools students in Gaza are struggling to study for their finals exams due to continued electricity outages and sweltering heat. Palestine
UN to Decide on Ending Sanctions Against Iraq The UN Security Council will consider this month whether to remove Iraq from UN Chapter VII regulations, but Iraqi-Kuwaiti relations still require permanent solutions to overcome the past. Kuwait
Turkey's Sunni Identity Test The Turkish government’s sectarian impulse, resurging whenever foreign policy fails, reverberates in domestic politics and fans social unrest. Iraq
Iraqi Shiite Cleric: Iraqi Extremism A 'Transitory Phase' In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Iraqi Shiite authority Hussein al-Sadr shares his perspective on the state of affairs in Iraq 10 years after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Iraq
A Palestinian Mother’s Heartache For Her Imprisoned Son Palestinian filmmaker Suheir Farraj wrote an emotional Facebook message to her jailed son, who remains behind Israeli bars for belonging to the PFLP. Palestine
