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
Egypt's new public service mandate has some women wanting more The Egyptian government has just mandated that Egyptian youth perform a year's worth of public service, but some Egyptian women say the government's decision doesn't go far enough. Egypt
Is Trump hoping for another Ahmadinejad in Tehran? Iranian media paid less than expected attention to President Trump’s inauguration as it was busy covering the aftermath of the deadly collapse of a high-rise in Tehran. United States
What's the holdup in Turkey's battle for al-Bab? Turkey's president must be mulling over many factors influencing the stalled action in Syria. Turkey
No major deals likely at Astana talks on Syria The Syrian sides are making no promises at the peace talks in Astana, and despite their joint support for a political solution, neither are Turkey and Russia. Syria
Is Trump really Netanyahu’s 'dream president’? Benjamin Netanyahu must cope with a Trump administration whose policies are not yet known while facing pressures from the far right to annex settlement blocs and other pressures from Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, the prime minister's rival from the pragmatist right. Palestine
Israeli security establishment to Netanyahu: Don't touch Iran deal Contrary to the opinion of Israel’s security establishment, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers asking President Donald Trump to abandon the nuke agreement with Iran. Israel
Iranian soccer players face intensified crackdown A recent string of suspensions of soccer players for discussing corruption and taking pictures with female fans stirs controversy in Iran. Iran
After Aleppo victory, what's next for Hezbollah? With recent military victories in the Syrian war, Hezbollah has consolidated its political power and influence in Lebanon as well as in the greater region. Lebanon
Why was pro-government Egyptian TV host taken off air? Another talk show has been banned in Egypt, but this time the offender is staunchly pro-regime, suggesting the Egyptian government's already low tolerance for dissent is reaching extremes. Egypt
IS reinforces positions in Syria's al-Bab The Free Syrian Army, backed by Turkish forces, is facing major difficulties in their battles against the Islamic State near al-Bab in northern Aleppo, where IS is reinforcing its positions and besieging civilians they use as human shields. Syria
Iraqis celebrate addition of Khidr Elias feast to UNESCO heritage list UNESCO's addition of Iraq's Khidr Elias feast to its Intangible Cultural Heritage List is reviving interest in the religious and social tradition. Iraq
Egypt goes against international current with Libya support Amid accusations that Egypt is sending weapons to Libya in violation of the arms ban, Cairo is still working to convince the UN Security Council to support Gen. Hifter and the Libyan National Army. Egypt
