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
Fighting in Aleppo makes headlines in Tehran Conservative news outlets in Iran celebrate victories of the Syrian army in Aleppo. Syria
Al-Bab shaping up as more trouble for Turkey Islamic State fighters have dug in around al-Bab, reportedly digging trenches and preparing suicide bombers, as Turkish forces bombard their positions. Syria
Turkish state 'out for revenge' after Istanbul bombings Ankara promises revenge after the deadly twin bombing attacks hit Istanbul last weekend. Syria
Is Turkey’s fight against Syrian Kurds enabling Assad? Ankara’s constantly evolving intentions in Syria have eased the minds of Russia and the Syrian regime as they continue to consolidate their position in Aleppo and beyond. Syria
Dollar-hungry Turkey eyes Middle Eastern markets Scrambling to overcome a foreign exchange crunch, Turkey’s government has outlined incentives to prop up exporters, and while Middle Eastern markets figure high on the target list, Ankara’s political conflicts with neighbors present an obstacle that needs to be addressed. Iraq
As Lebanon tries to build walls, Palestinian initiatives traverse them As the Lebanese army and Palestinian officials in the country are debating the issue of the now halted construction of a wall around the Ain al-Hilweh camp, other Palestinians are launching civil initiatives to raise awareness about the refugees’ future. Palestine
What's behind Egyptian campaign to delay Saudi pilgrimages? Recent calls in Egypt to postpone by one year the umrah pilgrimage for those who have already made the trip has raised controversy and is viewed by some as a means of leverage against Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Former Iraqi PM: US could have stopped IS with 2008 security deal In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Prime Minister of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki discussed the country's relationship with the United States, the ongoing battle against the Islamic State and the role of the Popular Mobilization Units. Iraq
How Al-Azhar plans to strike back against 'fatwa chaos' Egypt's Al-Azhar faces an uphill battle to confront religious extremism as it continues its efforts to launch a TV channel that promotes moderate Islam. Egypt
How Netanyahu's government is unifying Israeli Arabs Members of the Joint List feel that coalition head David Bitan's insulting Israeli Arabs is backfiring and instead strengthening and uniting the Israeli Arab sector. Israel
Does Netanyahu count on leftist NGOs to save him? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't feel the need to publicly oppose the settlement regularization law and anger the right because he thinks the left will do that work for him and win. Palestine
Who was behind Cairo church bombing? Authorities have arrested suspects in a weekend attack on a Coptic church in Cairo, as Copts call for the government to deliver on promises to protect the religious minority. Egypt
