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
Khamenei increases pressure on Rouhani ahead of elections Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's criticism of a UNESCO program promoting gender equality is seen as an attack on President Hassan Rouhani. Iran
Rouhani’s rivals are making pledges Iran cannot afford While incumbent Hassan Rouhani’s main challengers in the Iranian presidential race are making grand pledges of bigger cash handouts and more jobs, there is little to suggest that the promises can be realized. Iran
How are Iraq's Yazidis faring amid Kurds' confrontations? Turkey’s bombing of Yazidis' Sinjar homeland deepened the argument between the Kurdish Democratic Party and the Kurdistan Workers Party. Iraq
Can Ankara ever balance its policy in Syria? Turkey, Iran and Russia sign an agreement to establish safe zones in Syria, but the United States voices its concerns. Syria
Will Egypt play a role in Iraqi settlement? The visit of Ammar al-Hakim, the head of the ruling Shiite Iraqi National Alliance, to Egypt could be an opportunity for Cairo to assume a mediator role to reach a political settlement and active role in the post-IS era in Iraq. Egypt
Bennett: We must tell Trump the 'truth' about peace process In an interview with Al-Monitor, HaBayit HaYehudi leader Naftali Bennett says that "the age of maneuvering is over" as the Israeli government must be honest with US President Donald Trump about the reality of creating a Palestinian state. Palestine
Could Hamas' pragmatic new leader finally reconcile with Fatah? Contrary to former Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal, newly elected Ismail Haniyeh is perceived as more intimately connected to the Gaza Strip and its suffering and may stand a better chance of unifying Palestinians. Palestine
What to expect from Hamas' newly elected leader Several challenges await Ismail Haniyeh as he steps in as Hamas’ new leader, most importantly reconciliation with Fatah and fixing ties with regional players Egypt and Iran. Palestine
Why Abbas asked Israel to cut power to Gaza The Palestinian Authority has asked Israel to stop providing funding for Gaza's electricity as part of President Mahmoud Abbas’ efforts to pressure Hamas into ceding power. Palestine
Nuclear deal in focus in second Iranian presidential debate The second Iranian presidential debate sees candidates trade barbs on the nuclear deal. Iran
Trump goes to Riyadh US President Donald Trump may want to learn lessons from previous presidential encounters with Saudi kings if he wants his trip to visit King Salman to be a success. Legacy: Gulf
Putin changes conversation on Syria with cease-fire plan Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the de-escalation zones are linked to US safe zone discussions. Syria
