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
Do Gaza’s melting-pot markets reflect identity crisis? The Gaza Strip tries to maintain its own culture, even as the blockade forces it to embrace imports. Palestine
Palestinian security torn between intifada, duty The attack near the Beit El settlement this weekend is the second one by a Palestinian security officer, and there is immense pressure from the Palestinian street on others to join the uprising. Palestine
Salt industry evaporating in Iraq Poor Iraqis in search of income have turned to harvesting salt by hand, but face competition from imports. Iraq
Congress eyes Syrian refugee threat — from Canada A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Feb. 1. Israel
Should armed groups allied with al-Qaeda be included in Syria peace talks? Our answer is no; Erekat’s “main priority is not to allow IS to raise its flag in Palestine”; Turkey responds to Biden with fake news. Palestine
Is Turkey the odd man out as Egypt, Greece, Cyprus cozy up? Cairo, Athens and Nicosia are busy forging cooperation pacts. Egypt
Will sanctions prompt Iran to boost missile program? Washington’s imposition of new missile sanctions on Iran a mere day after the implementation of the nuclear deal appears to have caused a backlash. Congress
Will Syrian regime's advances on the ground strengthen their position in Geneva? In line with its policy of closing borders and cutting off supply routes, the Syrian regime has launched an offensive on the town of Hirbnafsah on the border between Homs and Hama a few days before Geneva III. Syria
New transportation project aims to get the West Bank moving The West Bank is preparing to carry out the ORIO project that aims to develop a fleet of public buses, which will be a quantum leap in Palestine’s public transportation system. Palestine
Uber drives a wedge between Bibi and Israel's transportation minister The dispute between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz over approving the entrance of ride-sharing app Uber to the Israeli market revealed a power struggle between the two men. Israel
Palestinian women increasingly targeted online The rise in social media in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has been accompanied by an increase in cybercrime, but many women are reluctant to report it. Palestine
Who's to blame for recent kidnappings in Iraq? Many foreign diplomats and workers have been kidnapped in Iraq by armed gangs that have been spreading in the absence of security measures, which could damage diplomatic representation. Saudi Arabia
