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
Will Jordan confront IS in southern Syria? Some analysts say that recent movements and activities by the Islamic State near the Jordanian border could push Jordan to intervene militarily in southern Syria. Jordan
FSA sees 'golden opportunity' with end of Turkey's operations in Syria The Free Syrian Army is conducting intense training in Aleppo’s countryside in preparation for future battles now that Turkey has announced the end of its operation in Syria. Syria
Is tripartite alliance emerging between US, Egypt and Jordan? The consecutive meetings between Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Jordan's King Abdullah and US President Donald Trump prompted some to speculate that a three-way alliance was forming between the United States, Egypt and Jordan. Egypt
Why Iran won’t ditch the dollar soon Although Iran has long touted plans to wholly abandon the US dollar, economic realities appear to be forcing Tehran to delay such a move. United States
Libya art exhibit paints bleak picture of post-Arab Spring society At an art exhibit in Tripoli, artists displayed haunting works related to their personal experiences in the post-revolution conflicts in Libya and the entire region. Libya
PA faces backlash after slashing Gaza salaries The Palestinian Authority's move to cut a chunk out of its Gaza employees’ salaries is being met with anger amid concerns that the real motive behind the decision is more political than financial. Palestine
As Iran's election nears, cracks appear in conservative camp Despite the Principlist JAMNA coalition holding a preliminary vote to find a consensus candidate, Iranian conservatives remain divided a month before the country’s presidential elections. Iran
How Palestinian hunger strike leader rattled Israeli politicians Israeli politicians concentrated on The New York Times and the op-ed published by Fatah senior Marwan Barghouti, instead of focusing on Barghouti’s accusations against Israel. Palestine
Is Tehran's mayor lobbying to be only conservative candidate? While Iranian conservatives claim to have forged unity, a closer look indicates the opposite as Ebrahim Raisi’s supporters believe Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is maneuvering to sideline him. Iran
Egypt reforms food subsidy system by first kicking out the rich Almost 78% of Egypt's 92 million citizens receive government subsidies, but officials hope to pare down those swollen ranks by weeding out those who do not actually qualify. Egypt
Giza animal shelter offers hope for Egypt's stray dogs An Egyptian engineer set up a rescue facility in Giza to care for Egypt's many homeless dogs and find them new homes, and his new one under construction in Alexandria will take in cats, too. Egypt
Is it 'business as usual' for Israel's tourism? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going to great lengths to promote a strong Israeli tourism industry, but not everything is as it seems. Israel
