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
Jordan’s Syria blacklist blasted by key players Wide criticism has already emerged of the Jordanian list of terrorist groups in Syria, and some observers believe the initiative never had a chance. Saudi Arabia
Violence pervades Iraqi political life A look at Iraq’s historical events shows that violence has been part of the country’s political life for many years. Iraq
'Hate wedding' video offers glimpse at Jewish terror The viral video of the so-called hate wedding, at which guests dance with guns and stab a photo of a murdered baby, should serve as a wake-up call to the religious Zionist movement, which must confront dangerous trends in its own backyard. Palestine
Can Oman help Saudis save face in Yemen? Oman, the only GCC country that did not join the Saudi coalition fighting in Yemen, could help the Saudis negotiate peace there. Saudi Arabia
Obama bemoans 'unspeakable violence' against Mideast Christians US President Barack Obama condemns the persecution of Christians by the Islamic State. Legacy: Gulf
Is Congress empowering Iranian hard-liners? The recent congressional vote to target travelers who have visited Iran and whose countries are members of the US Visa Waiver Program is empowering hard-liners in Tehran. Congress
Ethiopia, Egypt dam feud drags on The future of the negotiations between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on the New Renaissance Dam is hazier than ever as the political and technical deadlock persists. Egypt
26-year-old female MP has big plans for Egypt’s new parliament In an interview with Al-Monitor, Sarah Saleh, Egypt’s newest and youngest parliamentarian for South Sinai governorate, speaks about the challenges facing her constituency and her plans to address them. Egypt
Slow food, ancient cooking win Gaziantep spot on UNESCO list Gaziantep province has been recognized by UNESCO and the European Union for its culinary excellence and hopes to become a center for gastronomy tourism in Turkey. Turkey
Are mutual feelings of isolation pushing Turkey, Israel closer? It remains unclear whether Ankara’s attempts to normalize ties with Israel represents a new orientation in Turkey’s foreign policy. Near East
Salehi reveals new details of secret US, Iran back channel In an extensive interview, Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's atomic chief and former foreign minister, reveals new details of the secret back channel to the United States. Oman
Is Iran retreating from Syria? Iranian military commanders have responded to a report from Bloomberg quoting US officials about Iran retreating from Syria. Syria
