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 Syrian refugees don't go to Russia With little help from the Russian government and a very small chance for asylum, few Syrian refugees travel to Russia. Syria
With IS expelled from Libya's Sirte, what comes next? Libya's GNA-backed Misrata fighters disposed of IS in Sirte, staking its claim as a politically dominant force in the fractured country. Libya
Outrage over Istanbul bombing turns anti-Kurdish The swift crackdown on Kurdish and pro-Kurdish activists by the Turkish government following the Istanbul bombing has set off a nationalist, anti-Kurdish frenzy in Turkey. Turkey
Abbas comes out of Fatah congress stronger than ever The Fatah seventh congress concluded without any changes: Mahmoud Abbas strengthened his position within the movement, and the former leaders remained in their positions. Palestine
Will jailed Fatah leader become its new VP? The newly elected members of Fatah’s Central Committee failed to appoint a vice president, as controversy surrounds imprisoned leader Marwan Barghouti, who received the highest number of votes at the movement’s internal elections. Palestine
Why do Turks blame the West for PKK terror? Conspiracy theories aside, Turks can be forgiven for thinking that Western support for Syrian Kurds is essentially support for the Turkish Kurdistan Workers Party. Iraq
Getting ahead in Hamas: It helps to have street cred Young people are finding it difficult to move up the ranks in Hamas, as senior positions are usually reserved for prominent figures such as religious scholars, parliament members and those who have earned their stripes in Israeli prisons. Palestine
Ankara points fingers as civilians stuck in Aleppo despite cease-fire Following reports that regime forces are blocking the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians from Aleppo, Ankara is accusing the Syrian regime and Shiite militias of attempting to sabotage the cease-fire Turkey brokered between Russia and opposition rebels. Syria
Russian dominance in Syria is a double-edged sword for Israel In an interview with Al-Monitor, an Israeli security official discussed the effects of Russia now setting the tone in Syria and explained Israel's complex relations with Russia in its northern front. Israel
Ancient Babylon's bricks finding their way into modern buildings The city of Hillah was built a thousand years ago using bricks scavenged from the ruins of Babylon, and the practice of reusing the ancient building materials continues there to this day. Iraq
New year, new Netanyahu? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again proclaimed his support for a two-state solution with the Palestinians, but is he being genuine? Palestine
What Exxon's Rex Tillerson might mean as secretary of state Democrats and some Republican lawmakers expressed concerns about the extensive business dealings in Russia of Trump’s nominee to be secretary of state, but several former diplomats said ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson brings significant global experience negotiating in complex environments. Russia
