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
Iraqi president gives priority to job opportunities for youth, calls corruption 'political economy of conflict' Iraqi President Barham Salih, in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, says that in the present climate "talking about another war is just madness." Iraq
Russia’s future in Iran looks brighter as Europe, US fade Moscow hopes its efforts to help Iran work around US sanctions will pay off in trade, finance and politics. Russia
Interview Qatar spokesperson: Blockade 'existential threat' to GCC In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson remains optimistic that diplomacy in Afghanistan remains possible.
Interview Israel’s UN ambassador says crisis with Iran 'brings us closer' to Arab states In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Danny Danon says Iran is "lying all the way" about its nuclear program — "We proved it to the world.”
Bahrain would welcome 'new JCPOA' if Iran ends 'toxic' behavior In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the foreign minister of Bahrain, says his country is "not shy" about working with the United States to support peace and prosperity in the region. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan's Syria plan: Resettling the Syrian refugees or ousting Kurds from their land? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's remarks in United Nations indicate that Turkey has dangerous intentions about the east of Euphrates. Syria
UN Syria envoy opens door to resolving 8½-year war The establishment of a constitutional committee is a big step, but UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen knows he is just getting started. Originals
Incitement and the poet: Dareen Tatour's legal victory The Israeli Supreme Court recently declined to review a district court ruling that a poem by Dareen Tatour did not constitute incitement. Palestine
Baghdad sends delegation to Erbil to resolve disputes Baghdad sent a delegation, headed by President Barham Salih, to the Iraqi Kurdistan region to discuss the budget, oil and other contentious issues. Iraq
Meet the boxer who blows into glass in Cairo Glassblowing dates back to pharaonic times in Egypt, but these days there's one man trying to keep the tradition alive. Egypt
What Sisi-Trump meeting means for US-Egyptian relations US President Donald Trump met with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to discuss bilateral relations and Egypt’s counterterrorism efforts in New York recently. Egypt
