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
Will regime keep the upper hand in Syrian conflict? The Syrian army has gained control of the area connecting Moadamiyet al-Sham and Daraya in Rif Dimashq, though opposition figures say the siege won’t last. Syria
How to reverse engineer Israeli-Palestinian peace With Israelis and Palestinians dubious of the "peace process," a new approach is needed to restore some hope in resolving their conflict. Palestine
Turkey threatens fragile Syria peace accord Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the United States is responsible for "sea of blood" in Syria as Turkey attacks Syrian Kurds; Ankara and Riyadh raise specter of ground operations in Syria. Saudi Arabia
Displaced Yemenis suffer in silence in Egypt Despite the war raging in their country, Yemen’s displaced citizens in Egypt await the day they can return. Saudi Arabia
7 things to consider before sending troops to Syria By supporting a Saudi ground invasion of Syria, the United States would be aiding and abetting the expansion of terrorism as well as pushing Iran and Russia toward threatening the very viability of the House of Saud. Saudi Arabia
Could Jerusalem get a Palestinian mayor? Former Minister Haim Ramon explains why his plan for separating from 28 East Jerusalem Palestinian villages responds to the security concerns of Israeli citizens and is not detrimental to dialogue with the Palestinians. Palestine
Can Turkey return as a player in Syria? The siege of Aleppo and resulting refugee flow offer an opportunity for Turkey's return as a player in Syria, but realities on the ground won't make it easy. Syria
Will US, Russia be able to turn 'words on paper' into action in Syria? The United States and Russia, meeting with international powers, announced that they had agreed on a plan for rapid humanitarian aid delivery to seven besieged areas in Syria and to try to work out a temporary truce to go into effect after one week. Syria
Why did Erdogan's bodyguards beat up these Ecuadorian women? No country is spared from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s anger, not even Ecuador, raising questions about whether he can speak to unvetted audiences. Turkey
Why some Syrian fighters transferred to Turkey vow to return Although Ahrar al-Sham is associated with al-Qaeda, the people of Zabadani who were forced to flee to Turkey when the regime took over consider it a moderate group and continue to support it. Syria
As health system collapses, disease kills more Yemenis The blockades imposed by the warring Saudi-led Arab coalition and Houthi rebels in Yemen have caused severe medicine shortages, which in turn led to the spread of diseases. Saudi Arabia
How Tehran plans to crack down on property speculators Iran has a plan to tax languishing building projects and vacant homes in an effort to curb rampant speculation and raise revenue. Iran
