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
Gazans rejoice as Qatar vows to pay one month of full salaries Qatar has announced that it will provide about $31 million to the Gaza Strip, enough to cover one month's salary for Gaza's civil servants, who hope the aid will bypass the banks to avoid deductions for outstanding debts. Qatar
Can PLO help protect Palestinian refugees in Syria? The slaughter of a Palestinian child by the Nureddin Zengi Brigade in Syria put the spotlight on the PLO’s role and its failure to protect Palestinian refugees in Syria. Palestine
Who protects Tunisian corruption whistleblowers? A Tunisian nonprofit and independent watchdog launched a center to support and guide victims of corruption, to encourage citizens to report administrative and financial corruption, and to create a favorable climate to promote accountability. Tunisia
IDF's biggest threat today is internal, warns chief of staff In a rare appearance before the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot criticized politicians for acting against the Israeli military, using it for their own political agendas and eroding the public's trust. Israel
US rebukes Russia Aleppo plan as 'demand for surrender' The United States criticized a Russian Defense Ministry announcement of “humanitarian corridors” for civilians to leave rebel-held eastern Aleppo, but US-Russian negotiations on deeper cooperation continue as the city is steadily falling to the regime. Syria
Libya's bungled oil deal Rather than uniting Libya's feuding national oil companies and myriad rival militias, the United Nation’s clumsy attempts to restart oil exports have pushed them all into pitched battle. Libya
Why are Egypt’s TV hosts migrating to Western screens? Bassem Youssef, known as “Egypt’s Jon Stewart,” is no longer in Egypt, as he and other personalities like him are finding freedom of speech in the West. Egypt
Iran economy minister: There are positive economic signs Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s economy minister says there are signs that the economy is improving. Iran
Is Israel already a binational state? Palestinians believe that calling for a binational state will force the international community to engage in a realistic two-state solution in 2017 and force the Israeli public to see the necessity of Palestinian statehood. Palestine
The AKP's path to the coup Turkey today, exposed by the failed coup attempt, is a far cry from the country the Justice and Development Party promised 14 years ago. Turkey
Why state of emergency brings back bad memories in Turkey After a 14-year interval, Turkey has reintroduced a state of emergency not only in the southeast but across the entire country. Turkey
