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
Liberman's 10-point security program Talking to Al-Monitor, Chairman of Yisrael Beitenu Avigdor Liberman explains his recently released "10-point program" to rein in terrorism and criticizes the government for its incompetence in defeating terrorism. Palestine
Netanyahu takes a shot at UK prime minister British Prime Minister David Cameron is a true and committed friend of Israel, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has still lashed out at him for daring to criticize Israeli policy in East Jerusalem. Israel
27,000 Syrian refugees stranded near Jordanian border A senior European diplomat has criticized Amman for leaving Syrian refugees stranded "indefinitely" near Jordanian-Syrian border. Jordan
Women win big in Iran's parliamentary elections The number of women in Iran's next parliament is set to double compared to the incumbent parliament. Iran
Why Saudis may take on Iraq’s Shiite militias Saudi Arabia sees Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units, formed from various Shiite militias to fight the Islamic State, as a dangerous long-term foe for the Sunni Islamic world. Saudi Arabia
Congress goes after Assad for war crimes A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Feb. 29. Syria
Is Turkey 'on the hook' regarding Syria cease-fire? US-Russia agreement on Syria is a possible breakthrough in peace efforts; Erdogan calls US alliance with Syrian Kurds a “Great Lie.” Syria
White House: Russia ‘on the hook’ for Syria truce The White House said Russia is ‘on the hook’ for the success of the partial Syria truce set to start Feb. 27, and cautioned that the truce is likely to take time to take hold, and will face setbacks. Syria
Saudis increasingly frustrated with Lebanon The Saudis, who aspire to expand their status in the Gulf, are growing ever more frustrated with Lebanon. Saudi Arabia
Voters come out in force as Iran holds key elections Iranians line up outside polling stations to cast their ballots in the country’s key parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections. Algeria
Iran's Reformists keep their eyes on the prize Despite pressures from the Guardian Council and fierce competition with Principlists, Iranian Reformists appear ever focused on their goals in the country’s parliamentary elections. Iran
Meet the 25-year old cleric who may help choose Iran's next supreme leader In an interview with Al-Monitor, the youngest candidate for the Assembly of Experts talks about his motivations for running — and what matters most to him. Iran
