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
Survey suggests Palestinian radicalization driven by lack of hope A recent poll indicates a slight increase in support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah, mainly due to US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but those numbers are countered by signs pointing to growing radicalization and lack of hope. Palestine
Is there hope for reforming Libya’s shattered economy? In an interview with Al-Monitor, Libyan Economy and Industry Minister Nasser al-Dersi talks about the Government of National Accord’s new economic reform program and the challenges it faces. Libya
Arab bloc could get out Palestinian vote in Jerusalem municipal elections Jerusalem's Ramadan Dabash is encouraging Palestinians to unite in an Arab voting bloc for the upcoming municipal election despite a fatwa against them participating. Palestine
Idlib locals worry as regime offensive looms Syrian officials’ statements about the coming battle for Idlib are alarming the residents of the rebel-held province. Syria
Turkey’s Christians divided over 'freedom' declaration A declaration by non-Muslim spiritual leaders in support of Ankara has exposed in-house divisions in Christian communities. Turkey
Russia wary to take sides in Libya as Hifter offers lucrative deals The Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Hifter directly called on the Russian president to interfere into the Libyan conflict militarily to sway victory into Hifter's favor; Moscow, however, is more comfortable with balancing the warring parties by different branches of the Russian government. Libya
Saudi Arabia’s diplomacy has costs Saudi Arabia's diplomatic decisions since King Salman took over the rule of the kingdom in 2015 have caused much controversy, with the bombing of a school bus in Yemen and the row with Canada over a tweet as recent examples. Saudi Arabia
Turkey’s time running out in Idlib Syrian Kurds could be a wild card in a possible showdown between Damascus and Ankara; Russia keeps the peace, for now, on the Israel-Syria border; Israel may have opened a new front of secret assassinations; the political economy of Iran’s protests. Israel
Turkish lira plunges as Trump hits Ankara with increased tariffs US President Donald Trump's tweeted promise to double tariffs on steel and aluminum has pushed Turkey's currency into yet another tumble. Turkey
The interest group economics wreaking havoc on Iran's currency Absent tackling such root issues as banking and financial sector reform, Iran’s political economy is likely to continue to shape government policy to the detriment of the economy and the society as a whole. Iran
Will Iraq comply with US-imposed Iran sanctions? Iraq is willing to abide by US sanctions against Iran, according to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, yet pro-Iranian parties and militias slammed Abadi, calling for support for Iran against these sanctions. Iraq
Does PA fear Israeli-Hamas truce? Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah told ambassadors of donor countries that any aid to the Gaza Strip must go through the Ramallah-based government rather than directly to Hamas, raising questions on whether or not there are fears in the West Bank that the PA may be left out of a potential truce agreement. Palestine
