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 Palestinian Role in Jordan’s Elections Daoud Kuttab writes that Jordanian Palestinians for the first time have reached parliament on their own, without the political baggage of the Islamic Action Front, which boycotted the recent elections. Originals
Iraqi Agriculture in Crisis Agriculture in Iraq is experiencing a downturn as farmers leave their family trades for more lucrative government positions with steady salaries and government benefits, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
The Arab Awakening at Two:Facebook to Faith Book Nassif Hitti focuses on the ascendance of Islamist movements on the second anniversary of the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Egypt
Yair Lapid Should Call Abu Mazen Shlomi Eldar writes that soon, Yair Lapid should call Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and that social justice in Israel will only result from renewed peace talks. Palestine
Egypt’s Revolution Devours Its Children Ali Hashem writes that Egypt’s crisis has spiraled from bad to worse. Egypt
Al-Monitor Week in Review: 5 Key Trends, from Mali to Qatar A commentary and review of Al-Monitor’s coverage of the demonstrations in Egypt, the rise of "al-Qaeda 3.0," the linkages between Libya and Mali, Qatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood and Israel’s elections. Qatar
Kurds Welcome Change of Turkish Interior Minister Kadri Gursel writes that Kurdish and other opposition groups are pleased with the replacement of Idris Naim Sahin as Turkish interior minister. Turkey
Lapid as Foreign Minister Would Boost US-Israel Ties Nadav Eyal writes that Yair Lapid, who has no foreign policy experience, would nonetheless boost US-Israeli ties as foreign minister. Israel
Gazans Witness Crackdown on Alleged Collaborators with Israel Asmaa al-Ghoul reports on recent vigilante executions of alleged collaborators in Gaza. Palestine
Village Threatened With Extinction By Israeli Settlement The village of Yanoun, where the population has been reduced to 59, may be the most threatened village in the West Bank, writes Linah Alsaafin. Palestine
Israel Votes for a One-State Solution Dalia Hatuqa writes that prospects for a two-state solution have further diminished with the Israeli elections. Palestine
Selek Case a Travesty For Turkish Judiciary Cengiz Candar describes the case and conviction of Pinar Selek as a low point for the Turkish judicial system. Turkey
