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
How to replace Abbas? Produce a vice president While some Palestinian politicos discuss creating a vice presidential position appointed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as a transitional safeguard, others complain that the next in line to lead must be elected. Palestine
Iran unfazed by Saudi flexing in Persian Gulf Saudi Arabia's large-scale military exercises may be cause for some concern in Iran, but Saudi capabilities in the Persian Gulf can't compare to those of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Saudi Arabia
How oil is bringing Iraq, Egypt closer Iraq is planning to supply Egypt with a million barrels of oil as both countries face a deteriorating relationship with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
How Lebanon’s presidential problem turned into opportunity Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his support for former chief of the army and Hezbollah ally Gen. Michel Aoun as president, which may have been Hariri's last resort as his relationship with Saudi Arabia has been tense. Saudi Arabia
Despite difficulties, Palestinian women continue to marry prisoners More Palestinian women are marrying prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails in what they see as an act of patriotism. Palestine
Will Cairo reverse decision to transfer islands to Riyadh? As the Egyptian government defends in court its maritime border agreement with Saudi Arabia that transferred two Red Sea islands to Riyadh, a lawyer for the state provoked controversy after admitting the "islands are still Egyptian." Saudi Arabia
Have Turkey's neo-Ottomans abandoned Yemen? Turkish media ignores Yemen despite mounting civilian casualties, but hard-core Islamists and secular groups blame the neo-Ottoman government for being a pawn of Western and Saudi interests. Saudi Arabia
Why KRG will remain Turkey’s main ally in Iraq Despite warnings from Turkish nationalist quarters about ultimate Kurdish aspirations, Ankara and Erbil are likely to maintain their pragmatic ties. Iraq
Pizza wars: flatbread becomes latest battlefield in Turkey-Armenia dispute Shared cultural heritage often leads to cuisine wars between Turkey and its neighbors. Turkey
Anti-IS troops are gaining ground on multiple fronts in Iraq Strong collaboration is helping various Iraqi forces and the international alliance to advance toward the city of Mosul from all directions in the battle against the Islamic State. Iraq
Meet Netanyahu’s right-hand man in the Knesset Knesset member David Bitan, coalition chairman and a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has proposed legislation that would make it easy to revoke the nationality of activists like B’Tselem chief Hagai El-Ad. Israel
Russian-Palestinian relations better than during Soviet era Russian-Palestinian relations remain strong at both the official and public level, as Moscow has always supported the Palestinians’ right to self-determination and regularly funds cultural centers in the Palestinian territories. Palestine
