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
Can Tunisia’s economy be saved? Due to financial crisis, Tunisia's foreign currency reserves have hit a record low, and some goods have been banned from importation. Tunisia
Syrian regime, allies step up Idlib offensive The Syrian regime and its allies have intensified the air and ground campaign in Idlib province, creating a level of destruction reminiscent of the battle for Aleppo. Syria
Rouhani: Iran has no need to negotiate over its defense In a speech at an event for the Iran-Iraq War, President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran has no need to negotiate over its defensive capabilities. United States
How Iran sees Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria A complex series of considerations — including the ignition of blowback from Kurdish groups elsewhere in the region — has caused Iran to remain muted in its response to Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria. Turkey
Female graffiti artists show their colors on Amman's walls Suha Sultan is one of the few female graffiti artists in Jordan, but she is inspired to dismantle stereotypes and revitalize the city walls of Jordan's capital with colorful artwork. Jordan
Artists use calligraphy to bring together hostile neighbors in Lebanon's Tripoli Lebanese graffiti artist duo Ashekman have created a 1-mile-long message of peace on Tripoli's rooftops to unite two estranged neighborhoods in the city. Lebanon
Sochi conference casualty of Turkey’s military offensive in Syria Syrian opposition meeting reveals extent — and limits — of Russian-Turkish collaboration. Syria
Sochi summit exposes limitations of Moscow's Syria policy The Sochi meeting was crippled from the very beginning because of Turkey's military offensive in Afrin and the alienation of the Kurds. Syria
Dropping interest rates could increase inflation in Iran While high interest rates continue to keep liquidity locked into bank deposits, a nonholistic approach to job creation could lead lower interest rates to simply result in the return of high inflation. Iran
US adds Hamas political leader to terrorist list By designating the head of Hamas’ political arm, Ismail Haniyeh, on the American list of global terrorists, the US State Department added another obstacle to Palestinian reconciliation. Palestine
Turkey tackles 2 roles in Syria: peacemaker, provocateur While laying waste to Kurdish villages in Afrin, Turkey is also positioning itself as a shield between the Syrian army and opposition forces. Syria
Trump radicalizes US Mideast policies After US President Donald Trump’s statements in Davos, Europeans and Palestinians fear radicalized US policies on the Middle East. Palestine
