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
Why Turkey's high unemployment rate may mean more terror attacks The youth unemployment rate in Turkey’s conflict-torn southeast has shot up to nearly 25% in some areas, offering fertile ground for recruitment to Kurdish and Islamist terrorist groups. Syria
Will Syrian Kurdish self-rule succeed? Syrian Kurds believe their proposed self-rule system will work in predominantly Kurdish-populated areas, but will face stiff opposition elsewhere. Syria
How Turkey's Syrian refugees are getting by Some 85% of Syrians in Turkey who live outside the refugee camps are forced to accept meager wages due to their continued lack of work permits. Syria
Why Israel needs B'Tselem Human rights organizations can stop Israelis from ignoring what they and their leaders are trying to repress or bury. Palestine
Why Israelis are defending IDF soldier who shot Palestinian attacker A recent poll shows that most Israelis side with an IDF soldier who shot a subdued Palestinian, even though it's clear the soldier was not acting in self-defense. Palestine
Virtual party beats Netanyahu, but what about reality? A Haaretz poll suggests that a party headed by two politicians and a former IDF chief of staff could defeat a party list headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel
Kerry notes 'beneficial reduction' in Syrian violence Syrian cessation of hostilities holding at one month as Islamic State loses ground; Massoud Barzani says United States is turning a “blind eye” to Syrian Kurdish ally’s links to the Kurdistan Workers Party. Iraq
Is this Iranian man charged in US actually a 'hostage'? After an Iranian man was charged in a US court for violating laws on Iran, a conservative analyst accused the United States of seeking to obtain the release of two Iranian-Americans held in Iran. Iran
Will Egypt-Hamas fallout hurt Palestinian reconciliation? Hamas appears to be making an effort to repair relations with Egypt, but it’s unclear whether the road runs both ways. Palestine
Where are Israeli-Palestinian security talks headed? Discreet talks between Israeli and Palestinian security officers, aimed at reaching new understandings regarding Israel’s military activity in Palestinian cities, lead nowhere for the moment. Palestine
MP says Iran shuttered embassies over lack of funding According to one Iranian parliamentarian, financial issues were behind Iran's closing of a number of embassies, for which the Foreign Ministry has long complained of a lack of funding. Saudi Arabia
Is Iran becoming a major regional arms producer? If the current trajectory of arms deliveries continues, it appears that countries such as Iran, Russia and China are set to become the Middle East’s main weapons suppliers. Iraq
