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
Did boycott win Farhadi an Oscar — and Islamic Republic’s embrace? Iranian authorities have clearly welcomed director Asghar Farhadi’s latest Oscar, unlike last time — but what is next for this Academy Award winner? Iran
Can Arab Quartet advance two-state solution? Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi might propose that President Donald Trump meet with the Arab Quartet in order to advance the two-state solution. Saudi Arabia
Will Turkey be added to European list of undemocratic countries? While various European countries have canceled pro-referendum rallies organized by Turkish politicians, the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has called for Turkey to be added to its list of countries considered undemocratic. Turkey
Egypt puts off collection of hotels’ debts to boost tourism To salvage its ailing tourism sector, the Egyptian government has extended the grace period for the country’s hotels to pay all financial dues and debts. Egypt
Could Israel’s justice minister become prime minister? Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked has been a popular Cabinet member, but as a woman in a small, right-wing religious party, she has many obstacles to overcome on her way to the prime minister’s office. Israel
Will Abbas stop paying Gaza employees’ salaries? Donor states are threatening to stop transferring funds destined to pay the salaries of former Palestinian Authority employees in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Is quest to increase Egypt's presidential terms really altruistic? Egyptian politicians and the public are skeptical about a lawmaker's attempt to lengthen the presidential term. Egypt
When Israel's Court has to prevent Palestinian land theft The Israeli High Court will have to decide on the legality, constitutionality and morality of stealing Palestinian lands. Palestine
Iraq's 'Awakening' vets cautious about post-IS period Iraq's Sunni tribal fighters fear they will be isolated from Iraqi society after the elimination of the Islamic State. Iraq
On 6th anniversary of Syrian war, education remains a casualty In an interview with Al-Monitor, the minister of education of Syria’s opposition interim government, Imad Barq, spoke about the state of schools and education in the country and specifically in opposition-held areas. Syria
Next in line on Erdogan's warpath: Naughty Islamists Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is cracking down on Islamists — even peaceful ones — who fail to applaud him. Turkey
The real reason behind thaw in EU-Egypt tensions Throughout 2016, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hosted high-level delegations from at least 17 European states including Germany, France and Britain, reflecting a notable improvement in Egyptian-European relations. Egypt
