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 some Shiites are refusing to join fight against Islamic State Shiite fighters will not participate in the upcoming Mosul battles, as they feel the sacrifices they have made so far are not appreciated by the Sunnis. Iraq
Will next round of Geneva talks determine Assad's fate? The upcoming Geneva talks are once again under the spotlight as Syria approaches the end of the cease-fire. Syria
Hamas drags feet on choosing between Iran, Saudi Arabia Since the Gulf Cooperation Council decided to label Hezbollah a terrorist organization, Hamas has remained silent and refrained from taking sides so as not to endanger its regional relations. Saudi Arabia
Why some IDF soldiers refuse to surrender their beards Ultra-Orthodox Jews and secular hipsters are unlikely allies in battling a new IDF regulation that requires them to shave their beards. Israel
Why some Palestinians believe that 'death is the solution, not the problem' Seeing no political will to improve their circumstances, some young Palestinians appear to see killing Israelis as the only way to end the occupation and their misery. Palestine
Syria talks set to resume UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said he planned to resume proximity talks between the Syrian government and the opposition on a political transition starting March 14. Syria
After inviting Israeli ambassador for dinner, Egyptian MP finds himself without a job Egyptian legislator Tawfiq Okasha, who has a habit of angering top Egyptian party leaders, angered them even more by meeting with the Israeli ambassador in Cairo and found himself dismissed from parliament. Egypt
What's behind IAEA's change in reporting? While critics complain that they are getting less information from the IAEA about Iran’s nuclear program after implementation of the JCPOA, a US official told Al-Monitor, “We get what we need.” Iran
Does Erdogan believe he's on a mission from God? Increasingly cornered and isolated both at home and abroad, Turkey's president is seeking to boost his public support by placing God directly at the center of his Islamist oratory. Turkey
Why some Turkish women are boycotting women-only taxis A number of women have welcomed Turkey’s first women-only cab, but many activists reject the new service as further gender segregation in public life. Turkey
Why Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat should cooperate with Israel The individual intifada is being fed by online social networks, which is why it is almost impossible to stop, unless the social network giants decide to help. Palestine
IRGC commander: We are not pulling troops from Syria Following the firing of two ballistic missiles, an Iranian commander said that US pressure would only bring about more tests and said Iran would continue sending troops to Syria. Israel
