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
Erdogan tells Abadi to 'know his place' The row over Turkey’s military presence in Iraq is growing bigger by the day. Iraq
Five reasons Rouhani will be president for another term With former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad apparently sidelined by the supreme leader, Rouhani seems set for a second term in office. Iran
Protests bring transparency but not stability to Tunisia's oil sector Last year's mass protests succeeded in gaining public access to Tunisia's oil records, but the progress hasn't been enough to heal a hydrocarbon sector still plagued by labor unrest. Tunisia
Hamas leader shocks base, admits to 'mistake' in Gaza Hamas leaders are divided over political bureau head Khaled Meshaal's statement that Hamas erred by attempting to rule Gaza alone for the past 10 years. Palestine
How will Palestine benefit from joining international environment group? Palestine is seeking more global recognition as it recently became a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Palestine
Carter Center in Tunisia comes under fire The Carter Center in Tunisia has been accused of meddling in the country’s internal affairs after it issued a controversial statement calling for amendments to the Tunisian electoral law allowing members of the army and security forces the right to vote. Tunisia
Why did Hamas 'reshuffle' so many security bosses? Hamas' Interior Ministry in Gaza has appointed several new officials to top security positions, raising questions about its motives. Palestine
Backlash at Abbas escalates among Palestinians Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' attendance at the funeral of former Israeli President Shimon Peres has angered the Palestinian public and political factions, increasing the chance of violence in the streets. Palestine
'Syrian Interim Government' still seeks legitimacy amid violence In an interview with Al-Monitor, Jawad Abu Hatab, prime minister of the Syrian Interim Government, discussed the challenges the political and armed opposition face on the ground in Syria. Syria
Is a new West Bank settlement Obama's red line? If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on defying the US president and building a new West Bank settlement, Barack Obama could respond by abstaining in a UN Security Council vote on Palestinian Statehood. Palestine
How Netanyahu sidelined Peres’ vision for peace By naming Israel’s nuclear facility after Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignores his peacemaking efforts to position himself as heir to Peres' security legacy. Israel
Will Jewish MP join Iraqi parliament? Responding to Iraqi Jewish messages, an Iraqi parliamentary bloc calls for official representation of Iraqi Jews in the parliament. Iraq
