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
Gaza calls for death penalty Citizens in the Gaza Strip are pressuring Hamas to implement the death penalties in cases of murders, robberies and physical attacks, without awaiting the endorsement of President Mahmoud Abbas. Palestine
Syrians describe 'most dangerous journey ever' fleeing IS territories Civilians in areas under IS control are barred from leaving, but many are nonetheless risking their lives to flee the group's grip. Syria
What's fueling opposition to Iran's new oil contracts? The future of a new framework for Iranian oil contracts remains blurry as political infighting seems to be preventing its finalization. Iran
How much will $15 billion IMF loan really cost Iraq? The International Monetary Fund's loan to the Iraqi government may come with too many strings attached. Iraq
Islamic Jihad takes drug enforcement into own hands in Gaza The Islamic Jihad's military wing seized large quantities of Tramadol pills in Rafah, in a move Gaza officials considered as overstepping the security services' job. Palestine
What Bibi-Liberman alliance means for Israel’s opposition With opposition chair Isaac Herzog failing to join the coalition, Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, also in the opposition, is getting stronger. Israel
Peace with Palestinians not in Netanyahu's plan Whatever the composition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, it will never aspire to a negotiated peace with the Palestinians. Palestine
Egypt hopes to make the most of its return to pan-African group Egypt’s acceptance into the Pan-African Parliament is seen as a positive step, but it might not deliver as much as Egypt wants. Egypt
As climate changes, has Mideast refugee crisis just begun? New reports are drawing attention to the possibility that global warming could worsen the refugee crisis in the Middle East and North Africa. Pan Arab
Why hasn't Egypt taken a clear stance on Syria? Since Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power two years ago, Egypt has repeatedly stated that it wants to preserve the Syrian state and army, but it has been vague when it comes to voicing an opinion on the regime itself. Egypt
Rouhani praises 'historic' day for Iran, India, Afghanistan The leaders of Iran, India and Afghanistan gathered in Tehran to sign an agreement to develop a transit system connecting their countries via the southeastern Iranian port of Chabahar. Iran
Are Palestinians concerned over Minister Liberman? Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and Gaza say they do not fear incoming new Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman. Palestine
