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
Do Israelis lack empathy for Palestinian suffering? While Israeli Jews have always demonstrated solidarity with Jews around the world, they reject demonstrations of solidarity by Israeli Palestinians toward their brothers under occupation. Israel
Will Iran and Russia join forces on Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict? The renewed fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region has allowed Iran to present itself as a responsible and peace-seeking actor in its northern neighborhood. Russia
Palestinian internal politics deteriorating on all fronts Internal differences within the PLO have caused President Mahmoud Abbas to place financial pressure on the PFLP, which has accused him of a monopoly over political decisions. Palestine
Controversial bill threatens Israel's Arab MKs with suspension The Knesset is getting closer to passing the proposed suspension bill, which some fear would allow Arab members to be suspended over loosely defined violations. Israel
Congress ponders next move as Egypt clogs its own funding pipeline Lawmakers question US aid priorities as Cairo blocks projects. Egypt
Cairo tries to reassure citizens and Israel amid island controversy The announcement that Egypt would be ceding control of two disputed Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia has provoked outrage domestically and raised concerns in Israel. Saudi Arabia
Can Egypt's new Cabinet avoid mistakes of the past? Sweeping changes in Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail's Cabinet have some observers recalling a previous premier's successful, but dubious, lineup. Egypt
Khamenei says US preventing tangible results from nuclear deal Much of the Iranian media believe that the trip of Italy’s prime minister to the country is the first step toward better relations with Europe, but that the United States is still holding Iran back. Iran
Is Israel forming an alliance with Egypt and Saudi Arabia? Israel estimates that strengthening Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and maintaining a dialogue with Saudi Arabia are key elements for the region's stability. Saudi Arabia
Iran revs up for auto revolution The ownership structure of the Iranian auto market is set to radically change over the coming year as international carmakers make their entry. Iran
Nationalist party may hold key to Turkey's political future A possible tectonic shift in Turkish politics may come via the MHP's inner-party struggle. Turkey
Erdogan courts King Salman as new BFF Even if Saudi King Salman Abdul-Aziz Al Saud fails to broker a rapprochement between Egypt and Turkey, he still shares many commonalities with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not least their irritation with the US leadership. Saudi Arabia
