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 Iraq ban unveiled women from holy cities? The provincial council of Karbala is to vote to forbid the entry of unveiled women into the holy city, sparking resentment among the city's residents. Iraq
GOP divided over calling out Assad war crimes Two-thirds of the Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee declined to join their chairman’s call for accountability for Syrian war crimes. Syria
Will this woman become Iran’s first female president? In a remarkable twist, Iranian Reformists appear to eagerly welcome the potential candidacy of female Principlist Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi in the upcoming presidential elections. Iran
How serious is Russia's commitment to Libya settlement? Now that recent talks to unite Libya's rival governments have failed, observers are evaluating the extent of Moscow's investment in peaceful reconciliation. Egypt
Turkey, Kurds project confidence as Pentagon plans next Syria moves With the Pentagon close to producing new plans to defeat the Islamic State in Syria, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units and Turkish leaders both insist that the United States will pursue an alliance with them, and US officials keep feeding hopes on both sides. Syria
Was Obama lost opportunity for Iran-US relations? Iran’s foreign minister believes that recent criticism by Iran’s neighbors stems from their regional failures. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan counts on divisive campaign ahead of key vote The pro-constitutional amendment campaign ahead of Turkey’s critical April referendum is exposing the true spirit of the presidential regime that Erdogan wants to install. Turkey
What's behind Erdogan's flurry of activity on Taksim mosque? As construction on Istanbul's controversial Taksim mosque project begins with sudden urgency, the lack of public reaction may signal an important message. Turkey
Will Hamas boycott upcoming local elections? On Feb. 15, Hamas submitted to the Central Election Commission its three conditions for participating in Palestinian local elections rescheduled for May 13. Palestine
The Israeli right's judicial shakedown Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked has scored a victory in the ongoing campaign of the Israeli right to gain control over the Supreme Court. Israel
Why did Egypt really close Al-Nadeem victims' center? Egyptian security forces shut down Al-Nadeem Center on charges that it breached licensing laws, but representatives of the rehabilitation center say politics are involved. Egypt
Will settlers bring down Netanyahu again? Israel's right-wing activists have forgotten the trauma of bringing down the Netanyahu government in 1999 and are willing to threaten the prime minister with leaving the coalition if their demands are not fulfilled. Israel
