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
Trump administration pushes last-minute arms deals to Middle East The move to go forward with a proposed $290 million sale of precision-guided bombs for Saudi Arabia comes just weeks before the Biden administration arrives. Saudi Arabia
Will Egypt agree to sell Nile waters? Wall Street has started trading in water futures contracts, just like gold, oil and basic commodities, coinciding with the stalled negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which raises the question of whether Egypt will agree to sell the Nile waters. Egypt
Was UAE behind Israeli decision to allow Palestinian farmers access to Jordan Valley? For the first time in 46 years, Israel allowed Palestinians to enter al-Qa'oun valley in the northern Jordan Valley to cultivate their land. Despite the Palestinian Authority’s statement that this was in implementation of a judicial decision, Al-Monitor received information about Emirati-Israeli understandings that led to this action. United Arab Emirates
Convicted spy Pollard welcomed to Israel by Netanyahu Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted ex-spy Jonathan Pollard at the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport, hailing his arrival to Israel and granting him Israeli citizenship paperwork. Israel
Egyptian cinema industry declares war on streaming services The crisis has intensified between the makers of "Saheb Al Maqam," an Egyptian film first made available on digital platforms, and the Chamber of Cinema Industry, which has blocked it from being screened in movie theaters. Egypt
Israel’s right, left disintegrate ahead of March elections Israeli politics is no longer divided between right and left with a pragmatic center in between as Benjamin Netanyahu rewrites the rules of the game. Israel
Humanitarian disaster looms over camps during winter The lives of thousands of Syrian families in the Idlib camps lives turn into hell every year with the start of winter amid the lack of heating and rainwater drainage. Syria
Authorities in northeast Syria seek alternatives due to Turkish disruption of water supplies The Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northeast Syria is looking for alternative projects to make up for the suspension of operation of the Alouk water station in Ras al-Ain after the Turkish state repeatedly cut off water. Syria
Iran to 'urgently resume' gas shipments to Iraq following weeks of cutbacks Tehran has been reducing its gas exports to Baghdad due to unpaid bills, worsening an already critical energy situation. Iraq
Gaza unable to crack down on antiquities smuggling The antiquities that litter the ruins of Gaza are increasingly being trafficked, with the government unable to keep up. Palestine
Syria’s Kurdish-led administration calls on Biden for political recognition SDF commander Mazlum Kobane told Al-Monitor last month he hopes the Biden administration will double the US troop presence in northeast Syria. Syria
Pro-Israel group criticizes Georgia Senate candidate for past sermon Christians United for Israel slammed Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock over a 2018 sermon he gave on the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, but others have defended the candidate for a US Senate seat. Palestine
