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
Iran state broadcaster in hot water at home, abroad over airing rights The Iranian state broadcaster has found itself in a new dispute over broadcasting soccer games without permission, this time with Qatar’s beIN Sports and the UEFA. Iran
Is new strategy needed for fighting IS in Syria? In an interview with Al-Monitor, a senior member of the New Syrian Army, Abdulsalam Muzil, talks about his force’s achievements and what's to come in the battle against the Islamic State. Syria
Baghdad-Erbil bickering overshadows Mosul battle Since the Iraqi central government excluded the Kurdistan Regional Government from a meeting for the anti-IS coalition in Washington, tension has been escalating between Baghdad and the Kurds, who stressed that they will not leave areas in Ninevah liberated from IS. Iraq
How will Iraq handle its surging population? Despite Iraq's growing population, the government does not seem to have plans in place to contain the rise, develop employment and expand cities. Iraq
'Ultra-Orthodox run government,' Israeli lawmaker warns In an interview with Al-Monitor, Yesh Atid Knesset member Aliza Lavie claims that the new laws excluding many Israelis from ritual baths and undoing the core curriculum requirements for ultra-Orthodox children are ominous signs of the ultra-Orthodox stranglehold on the government. Israel
Israeli Arabs see through Netanyahu's apology Israeli Arabs are unimpressed by the apology of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his words during last year's election, sure that his apology video was directed at European ears. Israel
Will Hamas accept new Egypt-brokered deal with Israel? Egypt is making efforts in sealing an exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, yet observers question whether Hamas will accept it given the strained ties between the movement and Cairo. Palestine
What Saudi Arabia can offer Israel The unofficial visit by a retired Saudi general to Israel was a quiet overture that indicated Riyadh is willing to explore normalization with Israel in return for advancing the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. Saudi Arabia
Iraqi envoy quit over failure to prevent IS 'tragedies' Ambassador Lukman Faily bemoans missed opportunities to head off the Islamic State early on and elaborates on his post-diplomatic plans in an exit interview with Al-Monitor. Iraq
Are IDF soldiers shooting Palestinians against orders? The trial of IDF soldier Elor Azaria, who is suspected of shooting a Palestinian assailant on the ground, must bring back to the spotlight other cases where IDF soldiers shot Palestinians who didn't threaten their lives. Palestine
