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 to push anti-Iran message in trip to Kuwait, Israel, Lebanon In his trip to Israel and Lebanon this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will emphasize the threat from Iran and Iranian-backed proxies. Kuwait
Algerian protesters maintain pressure on Bouteflika Algerians continue their third week of peaceful protests against the rule of ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Algeria
Iran, India eye closer cooperation amid tensions with Pakistan Rising tensions between Iran and Pakistan is pushing decision-makers in Tehran and New Delhi closer to each other, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the region. Iran
Inside the prison holding IS detainees in northeast Syria Al-Monitor was the first Western media outlet to be granted access to the maximum security detention center in Derik, Syria, where many foreigners caught fighting for the Islamic State await their fate. Syria
Turkey’s incredible algorithm designed to root out Gulenists Turkey is expanding its use of software that analyzes an exhaustive array of aspects of people's lives to determine whether they might be members of the Gulenist movement. Turkey
Could Egypt turn into police state with new law proposal? In a move described by human rights activists as further restriction on people’s freedom, the Egyptian government agreed to a proposal to force landlords to report their tenants' information to the police. Egypt
Brexit teaches Israel, Palestinians lesson on interim agreements With Brexit complicating the 1998 Northern Ireland Good Friday agreement, Israel and the Palestinians must beware of holding onto an interim agreement and not reaching a final one. Palestine
Al-Azhar sheikh labels polygamy as unjust, stirs controversy Egypt’s grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, provoked controversy in Egypt by saying that polygamy can do “injustice to women and children.” Egypt
Palestinian elections could prove promising or impossible It's hard to tell whether Palestinian elections will help heal the Hamas-Fatah divide, as some people hope, or if the divide will prevent elections from even happening. Palestine
The social toll of Turkey’s emergency rule Turkey’s state of emergency ended last year, but its victims continue to suffer, with many entertaining suicidal thoughts or aspiring to leave the country, according to a recent survey. Turkey
How dominant is Netanyahu’s son in his father’s campaign? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son Yair seems to be extremely involved in his father’s election campaign, stirring it in his aggressive and insulting style. Israel
Israel's Blue and White revamps campaign as numbers drop The Blue and White Party is marketed to the public as a kind of joint leadership of the left and right, but it undermines Benny Gantz' image as the one candidate strong enough to challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel
