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
How the once-moderate Likud was radicalized Over the past few years, the Likud has abandoned its image as a liberal, center-right party, becoming more radical and identifying with the extreme Israeli right. Israel
Can the Islamic State be defeated without Kurds? Turkey insists Rojava's People's Protection Units must be excluded from the fight against the Islamic State on the Menbic-Jarablus front. Syria
Congress ponders 'Marshall Plan' for Egypt Lawmakers are split over whether they have a friend in Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt
Private collectors fuel demand for looted Mideast antiquities Archaeological experts say social dislocation and terrorism are increasing the ability of organized gangs to traffic artifacts to clients in Europe, Asia and the United States. Yemen
Saudi-Iran rivalry spills into UN Human Rights Council While Iran was unhappy with the renewal of Ahmed Shaheed’s mandate as special rapporteur for Iran, it appears to be even more irritated over how Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar voted in favor of the measure at the UN Human Rights Council. Saudi Arabia
Despite criticism, Rouhani calls for more international deals President Hassan Rouhani warns that opportunities arising from the nuclear deal won't last forever and Iran must take advantage of them and engage with the world. Iran
Egyptian activists bemoan 'attack on media' The arrest of the deputy head of Egypt's press syndicate has prompted more journalists to become increasingly vocal about restrictions on press freedoms. Egypt
Can Turkey break its Russian gas habit? With no end to bilateral tensions in sight, Turkey is making plans to significantly cut down Russia’s majority share of its natural gas supply. Turkey
Has Israeli army become defender of democracy? In the case of the IDF soldier who shot a Palestinian assailant on the ground, it was Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot who defended categorically the army ethics and values of democracy. Palestine
Why more Israelis are shying away from interaction with Palestinians A new survey by the Israeli Democracy Institute reveals that Jewish Israelis perceive the violent conflict with the Palestinians as unrelated to the occupation. Palestine
Struggle for Jerusalem takes on new form The Israeli Ministry of Tourism has released a map of Jerusalem’s Old City that omits many Christian and Muslim sites, fueling claims that Israel is trying to politicize tourism in the holy city. Palestine
Some Gazans fear Turkish generosity may come at high price Turkey’s crucial humanitarian aid and booming economic projects in Gaza could have hidden political motives. Palestine
