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 sends personal message to Abbas via Kushner The personal message from US President Donald Trump about his commitment to the peace process, delivered by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, softened the stance of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Palestine
Netanyahu and Kushner's diplomatic masquerade Neither Israeli media nor the Israeli political class showed any interest in the most recent meeting between White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Palestine
US, UK join Lebanon's strange military bedfellows The Lebanese army has been under-equipped for decades, so it must now coordinate with Hezbollah and the Syrian army in its offensive against Islamic militants on the border and with assistance from the United States and the United Kingdom. Lebanon
Egypt seeks to battle extremism through religious education Egypt's Ministry of Awqaf is once again opening its training camps for religious education, looking to include women and young people in an effort to fight extremism. Egypt
Sisi looks to Africa to boost Egypt's standing in Nile dam dispute Egypt is shifting its strategy toward African countries, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi making an African tour to revive interaction on security matters. Egypt
Questions abound over future of Ahmadinejad Despite his increasing isolation, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been reappointed as a member of the Expediency Council. Iran
Egypt's Al-Azhar rejects Tunisia's calls for equal inheritance for women Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi's calls to change the inheritance law faced backlash across the region, with Egypt's Al-Azhar sharply denouncing them. Tunisia
Turkey's FM repeats toothless warnings against KRG independence vote On his visit to Baghdad and Erbil, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu brought with him Turkey’s mixed signals about the planned referendum on Iraqi Kurdish independence, asking for its cancellation but naming no consequences from his country. Iraq
Turkish military upheaval continues at top levels Recent shake-ups at senior levels of the Turkish military indicate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is placing his trust squarely with Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar. Syria
Moscow looking beyond Hifter in Libya Russia has an opportunity to play a significant role in achieving peace and political progress in Libya. North Africa
Will Jordan, Palestinians form confederation? Palestinian officials are pushing a plan for enhanced cooperation and confederative ties with Jordan. Palestine
Israel defends Palestinian land theft in court Even after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said that the Regularization law is unlawful as it steals private Palestinian lands, Israel continues to defend it in court. Palestine
