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
Egypt’s support for Hifter could cost it work in Libya Mounds of money could await companies able to win reconstruction contracts in war-torn Libya, but some Egyptian business owners wonder if they will be at a disadvantage because of the side Cairo chose in the civil war. Egypt
Israel at 71, more religious, messianic and extreme Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans on forming the next coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties that in essence do not recognize the Declaration of Independence and Israel’s founding values. Israel
Egypt's camel racing shifts into high gear The Egyptian government seeks to modernize camel racing by establishing a new international racetrack and opting for robot jockeys. Egypt
Local Israeli authorities lose a little freedom on Independence Day With local governments paying increasingly exorbitant prices for performers to entertain on Independence Day, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri has introduced a cap in pricing to take effect in 2020. Israel
The politics of mutual grief Bereaved Israelis and Palestinians held an annual memorial event for victims on both sides of their conflict after the High Court of Justice overruled an attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent Palestinians from entering Israel to attend the ceremony, which is held on the same day that Israel honors its fallen soldiers. Palestine
Israel looks to Trump to halt Iranian nuke Iran's announcement that it will resume uranium enrichment is causing great concern in Israel. Israel
Israeli-Arabs key to returning the center-left to power Comparing Israel’s demographic profile with the results of the recent election show that large numbers of Israeli Arabs not voting, some due to intimidation, had a dramatic impact on the political map. Israel
US holds its fire on Istanbul election nullification The State Department says it is monitoring Turkey’s decision to scrap the Istanbul mayoral election results, but has so far refrained from directly weighing in. Turkey
Interview Yemen war 'does not serve any party' says Oman’s ambassador to US Omani ambassador to Washington Hunaina Al-Mughairy spoke to Al-Monitor about US-Omani ties, her country's stance on Yemen, Mideast peace and the latest Washington-Tehran tensions.
Turkish opposition will not boycott Istanbul election rerun As the Turkish opposition party whose victory in the municipal elections agrees to participate in a new vote, critics of the regime fear any outcome of the rematch for control of Istanbul. Turkey
How US sanctions facilitate Turkish-Iranian understanding on Syria Faced with US pressures on multiple fronts, Iran and Turkey are likely to step up cooperation — including in Syria, where the two neighbors remain at odds over multiple issues. Turkey
'Time to set it on fire': Iranian hard-liners want nuclear deal scrapped Ahead of a planned announcement by Iran's president on reciprocal measures against the United States' withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, some of the country's hard-liners are pressing him to fully withdraw from the nuclear deal. Iran
