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
Palestinian Authority accuses Israel of incitement Palestinian officials claim that Israel is refusing to participate in the Committee on Incitement because of its interest in maintaining its own campaign of incitement. Palestine
Leading rights activist warns of unknown future for NGOs in Egypt The executive director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information tells Al-Monitor that the government wants to “turn civil society into a government division.” Egypt
Air France propels debate over veil in Iran After protests by Air France’s female flight attendants over having to wear the obligatory veil on Iranian soil, discussion on this matter has been reignited in Iranian media and social networks. Iran
What's next for Aleppo? Clashes resumed in Aleppo after the cessation of hostilities there, which raises questions anew on the future of the city and the overall peace process. Syria
Iran court rules cancer-stricken prisoner must complete term After Iranian political prisoner Omid Kokabee's kidney was removed due to a cancer diagnosis, Iran’s judiciary is still refusing calls to release him early. Iran
Will this Palestinian be the next Nobel Peace Prize laureate? Palestinian institutions launched an international campaign in support of the nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize of Marwan Barghouti, sentenced to life imprisonment in Israel. Palestine
Erdogan, Davutoglu shed tears for Gaza, but do little else Turkey as well as the oil-rich Gulf states have still not fulfilled their pledges to help with the reconstruction and development of Gaza. Legacy: Gulf
What Turkey can learn from coup plot case dismissal The judgments rendered in the Ergenekon coup-attempt case have been dismissed after nine years because of errors in merit and procedure. Turkey
Is Islamophobia on the rise in Turkey? A researcher in Turkey’s southeast says radical Islamist groups and the bloodshed in Syria have fueled estrangement from Islam in the Kurdish-majority region, where Islamist-secularist tensions have simmered for decades. Turkey
Did Netanyahu miss out on a 'Golan-Iran' deal? Israeli sources claim that after the Iran deal was negotiated, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu missed out on a historic opportunity to strike a deal on the Golan. Israel
'There is no intifada,' say Ramallah residents In a visit to Ramallah, Israel Pulse contributor Shlomi Eldar heard from residents who expressed a deep weariness with Hamas and other "inciters" to violence. Palestine
Salafi armed groups increase attacks in Syria UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura warns that the cessation of hostilities is in “great trouble.” Saudi Arabia
