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
Interview Democrat or Islamist firebrand — who is Tunisia's Rachid Ghannouchi? In an interview with Al-Monitor, Rachid Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party, discusses the forthcoming elections and how Ennahda has shaped post-revolution politics in Tunisia. Rachid Ghannouchi Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party
Are Iran's Reformists still able to rally public around the flag? Iran's Reformists are facing a popularity crisis, desperately trying to disavow President Hassan Rouhani's performance as the public largely blames them for much of the ongoing hardship. Iran
Turkey pledges to enter Syria so refugees can return Frustrated by the slow progress on a proposed buffer zone in northeast Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signaled Turkey could do it alone, saying it would allow some of the millions of Syrians sheltering in Turkey to go home. Syria
Iran's FATF gridlock spawns 'death threats' An Iranian official claims to have received death threats over the FATF-related bills currently being debated by the Expediency Council. Iran
Putin proposes old yet novel idea for Turkey-Syria crisis Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested reactivating the 1998 Adana Accord to prevent Turkey from intervening east of the Euphrates River in Syria. Syria
Economic woes set to seal fate of Turkey’s local polls Public opinion polls show that economic problems have climbed to the top of the Turkish public’s concerns and electoral support for the ruling party is on the decline ahead of municipal elections in March. Turkey
Egypt's senior officials cannot travel without president's permission President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s recent decree regulating the travel of senior officials and requiring his permission stirred controversy as some claimed this move aims to strengthen the president’s grip on the country. Egypt
Is Tunisia’s 92-year-old president mulling second term? Nidaa Tounes recently announced its support for President Beiji Caid Essebsi to pursue a second term, a move that stirred controversy given his advanced age. North Africa
Hamas promotes relief work of Abbas' Fatah rival Hamas has allowed relief organizations affiliated with dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan to expand their activities and work in the Gaza Strip, in a bid to relieve social pressure from the movement. Palestine
Will the ultra-right seize control of religious Zionism in Israel? With Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked having left HaBayit HaYehudi to start a new party, ultra-right parties are angling to take control of Israel's religious Zionist movement. Israel
Rare book exhibit draws crowds in Jerusalem The "Maimonides: A Legacy in Script” exhibit, a collection of rare manuscripts by a renowned Jewish scholar, is drawing unusually large crowds of Orthodox Jews to Jerusalem’s Israel Museum. Israel
