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
Is Egypt moving toward rapprochement with Assad government? A number of unofficial visits to Syria by Egyptian groups have raised speculation that Cairo is conducting backdoor diplomacy with the Syrian regime. Egypt
Is the Palestinian economy trending up? After two years of sharp decline, the index for industrial production in Palestine rose slightly in 2016. Palestine
Who profits from Gaza unrest? Israel is concerned that Hamas is planning a major strategic attack on the Israeli homefront, which would force the IDF to invade Gaza. Palestine
Hamas insists ties with Iran strong, despite regional polarization Iran continues to provide financial and military support for Hamas amid a positive atmosphere that promises stronger ties and efforts to defuse the sectarian tension while bilateral meetings between the two are still being held outside Tehran, according to the movement’s representative in Iran. Palestine
Hamas decries Abbas overreach in setting local elections for spring Hamas is digging its heels in over an amendment to the elections law that creates a new judicial body for electoral matters by refusing to participate in local Palestinian elections this spring. Palestine
Does Trump signal golden age for Israeli settlements? Some are convinced that Israel's right-wing government and the new US administration under Donald Trump offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to legalize all West Bank settlements. Palestine
Syrian rebel groups see necessity in consolidating ranks In response to losing Aleppo at the end of 2016, several Syrian opposition factions have unified their ranks into two large entities, namely Hayyat Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham. Syria
Syrians in Turkey baffled by Trump’s safe zones plan A state of confusion and uncertainty prevails among Syrians living in Turkey, after the announcement by US President Donald Trump at the end of last month of his decision to create safe zones for civilians in Syria. Syria
Iraqi forces prepare to retake western Mosul Iraqi forces are prepping to liberate densely populated western Mosul from the Islamic State, which is expected to put up a fierce fight. Iraq
Noted 'neocon' finds surprising support from Democrats in Trump's America Iraq war cheerleader Elliott Abrams is in the running for the No. 2 spot at the State Department. Will Democrats put their misgivings behind them in order to rein in Trump? United States
How Russia's Muslims view Trump's anti-Islam stance Russia is home to 20 million Muslims, yet many officials and citizens are withholding judgment — at least publicly — on the US ban to keep out people from seven Muslim-majority countries. Russia
Ankara shifts public assets to sovereign wealth fund In a move critics say is financially risky and intended to concentrate money into corrupt hands, the Turkish government has created a sovereign wealth fund to finance its infrastructural projects as the lira falls. Turkey
