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
Iran's influence seen in transfer of Iraqi war hero The recent transfer of a widely popular commander is thought to be an Iranian-backed effort to discredit Iraq's Counterterrorism Service, which is seeking to maintain its independence and military capability. Iraq
Interview UAE minister draws on the past to seize possibilities of AI future In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Omar Al Olama, the UAE’s minister of artificial intelligence, laid out his country's approach to AI, stating, “We do not believe that we need to wait and be followers in the AI revolution. We need to take the lead.”
Does Russia seek 'ideological alternative' to US with Gulf security concept? Despite popular claims that Russia's policies in the Middle East are free of any ideology, the recent Gulf security concept released by Moscow may suggest that there should be one. Syria
US lobbying revelations upend Tunisia’s presidential race A $1 million lobbying contract first revealed by Al-Monitor has sparked a criminal complaint against a leading presidential candidate. Tunisia
Israel worried Iran might attack soon As the self-confidence of Tehran grows stronger, President Donald Trump might not be the one to save Israel from Iran. Israel
Netanyahu will soon need right-wing parties he crushed If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu succeeds in generating a third election, he would need a strong right wing and not the weak one that he himself had been crushing. Israel
Critics say Turkish government’s judicial reform package falls short Members of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party introduced the first package of its Judicial Reform Strategy, but critics say the provisions fall short of the government's stated aims. Turkey
Iraq on fire as protests spread across the south Protests have escalated in Baghdad for the third day in a row, spreading toward southern Iraqi cities. Iraq
Iran claims to have foiled terror plot against Qasem Soleimani The head of the IRGC’s intelligence organization claims it foiled an assassination plot on Qasem Soleimani, the IRGC’s Quds Force commander. Iraq
Jordan book fair held with theme 'Jerusalem: The Capital of Palestine' The Amman International Book Fair, one of the major literary events in the region, takes up the Palestinian issue as the theme this year. Palestine
Ticking time bomb: not a license to torture The terrible damage done to Palestinian Samer Arbid, who is suspected of heading a terror cell, could harm Israel much more than the harm that would have occurred had torture not been used on him. Palestine
