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
Why Paris conference on Mideast peace was a success In an interview with Al-Monitor, senior French diplomat Pierre Vimont says that the Jan. 15 Paris conference reaffirmed that a two-state solution is the only viable option for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. Palestine
Is Erdogan’s Syria policy slipping through his fingers? Syrian Kurds may dash Turkish president’s expectations for US President Donald Trump. Syria
Egypt's African Cinema Club unleashes potential of continent's film industry Egyptians hope the African Cinema Club will help Egyptian-African relations and boost African filmmaking at the same time. Egypt
US wrestlers barred from Iran in retaliation for Trump visa ban As US-Iran relations deteriorate over visa bans and missile launches, sports exchanges are collateral damage. United States
How political risks wreck Turkey’s economic prospects Turkey has lost its investment grade status with all top three credit-rating agencies, falling behind many regional countries despite its geopolitical edge. Turkey
Radical sheikh still wields influence from Lebanese prison A suspect in the failed Jan. 21 suicide attack on a Beirut coffee house has reportedly admitted to being a homegrown terrorist aligned with the Islamic State and a follower of Salafist Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir. Lebanon
Palestinian historical city of Sebastia besieged by settlements Palestinian officials have been attempting to add the West Bank’s historical city of Sebastia on UNESCO’s World Heritage List to protect it from alleged Israeli violations. Palestine
The truth behind oil theft in Iraq's Basra Iraqi members of parliament have recently addressed the Oil Ministry with allegations related to the daily theft of Basra oil due to the malfunctioning of oil counters, to which the ministry responded without offering any proof. Iraq
'War of the shrines' stirs tension between Palestinians, Israelis The fate of the West Bank’s holy sites is the subject of intense competition between Palestinian historical narratives and the theological discourse of the settlement movement. They are also key targets for settlement activities. Palestine
Will EU be more open to ICC probe of Israeli settlements? Palestinians are seeing an opening to push the International Criminal Court with Europe, as anger over Donald Trump increases. Palestine
The most powerful woman in Iran The death of Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has brought to the fore the story of the power and influence of Effat Marashi, his wife. Iran
Desperate Palestinian leadership could choose armed struggle With the Trump administration clearly on Israel’s side, Palestinian leadership might resort, once again, to armed struggle. Palestine
