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 hopes to get its trains back on track The development of Iran’s railways has been slow in the past decades, but the sector might finally be getting the attention it deserves. Iran
Will Shiite alliance in Iraq continue to survive? Conflicts spread beyond Shiite internal circles, while traditional authorities such as the higher Shiite authority and Iran have failed to reduce differences. Iraq
Why Israel needs a two-state solution Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's view of Islamic State terror as a clash of civilizations paints Israel as the "good guy," absolving it of resolving the conflict with the Palestinians. Palestine
Hamas finds itself between a rock and a hard place Hamas seems likely to accept Egypt’s demand that it sever ties with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, even though the relationship formed the basis for its ideology. Palestine
Congress split over Iran's access to the dollar Key lawmakers disagree on whether banking restrictions would violate nuclear deal. Iran
Trump's unlikely Iranian fans Though seemingly opposed to each other, the reality is that US Republicans and Iranian hard-liners play complementary roles for each other, as they give one another excuses to advance their respective domestic agendas. Congress
Egyptian Islamic Jihad founder: Annihilate terror groups or they annihilate you In an interview with Al-Monitor, Nabil Naeem, the founder and former leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, expresses concerns about the potential for a reconciliation between extremist groups and the state. Egypt
IRGC rejects Obama's 'spirit' of nuclear deal The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has rejected calls by the Obama administration to use the comprehensive nuclear deal banner to implement other changes, arguing that the agreement has not benefited the Iranian public. Iran
Egypt defends treatment of Ethiopian refugees Although Egypt has received Oromo refugees from Ethiopia, it says it is not showing favoritism toward either side or trying to take advantage of the discord. Egypt
Will a two-state solution be announced in November? The US administration is discreetly testing Israeli and Palestinian reactions to three options it is currently contemplating to advance the two-state solution. Palestine
How Turkey seeks to kill two birds with one stone in Diyarbakir The air of secrecy surrounding an urban renewal project in Turkey’s largest Kurdish city sparks anxiety among local residents, already stripped of their homes amid devastating clashes between Kurdish militants and the security forces. Turkey
Why Iraqi-Saudi ties are backsliding yet again After Iraq’s foreign affairs minister defended Hezbollah, which is considered a terrorist group by the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League, Gulf-Iraqi ties may worsen. Saudi Arabia
