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
Pompeo speech fails to make waves in Iranian media Iranian media and Iranians in general mostly snubbed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech in Cairo. United States
US sanctions hit Iranian students seeking bank accounts in Europe While Europe says it remains committed to the nuclear deal with Iran, the US withdrawal from the accord has created overcompliance with sanctions among banks that has made life difficult for Iranian students in Europe; however, Iranian students in the United States tell Al-Monitor they have not experienced such difficulties. United States
Will Israel allow Palestinian elections in East Jerusalem? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for legislative elections within six months, but the ability of East Jerusalemites being able to participate is uncertain, as usual. Palestine
France weighs its Syria presence, cooperation with Russia As the United States leaves Syria, France seeks an appropriate balance between its own military presence, relations with Russia and maneuvering between Turkey and the Kurds. Legacy: Gulf
Israel erects underground, underwater barriers to thwart Hamas attacks Israel’s sea and land barriers were built to stave off Hamas attacks and prevent tunnels from being dug. Palestine
Veteran Likud member must raise integrity banner against Netanyahu’s rule Knesset member Benny Begin has long been the emblem of political honesty and integrity; now he must raise his voice against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's continued rule while suspected of corruption. Israel
Is Turkey losing ground in Idlib? An offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the western Aleppo countryside has forced the Turkey-backed National Liberation Front to retreat. Syria
Syria issues coins to replace banknotes worth about a dime Given the inflation rate and the collapse of the Syrian currency, the Central Bank of Syria issues a new 50-pound coin (worth about 10 US cents) to save on high printing (and reprinting) costs for banknotes. Syria
Israeli right likely to maintain support for Netanyahu if indicted The Likud and the right-wing bloc is positioned to win the Israeli elections, and most of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition partners will agree to join him again even if he is indicted. Israel
Egypt closes crossing to Gaza as Abbas tightens noose The Palestinian Authority's latest action in the Gaza Strip is expected to worsen conditions for the already suffering Palestinians in Gaza. Palestine
Tunisia joins Arab efforts to mend ties with Syria’s Assad Tunisian political parties have been calling for the restoration of ties with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad six years after the former troika government expelled the Syrian ambassador. Syria
Jihadis rout Ankara's allies, complicating Turkey's Idlib mandate The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadi coalition has overpowered Turkish-backed rebel groups in Syria’s flashpoint province of Idlib, upending the essence of the de-escalation deal developed by Turkey and Russia. Syria
