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
How Israeli far right uses news as a tool of incitement As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemns Palestinian incitement, he should be careful about far right news sites depicting a false picture of the reality, damaging the already fragile relationship between Jews and Palestinians in Israel. Palestine
Will battle for Aleppo determine Syria’s fate? Syrian government forces advance despite heavy resistance; Arab leadership missing in battle against Islamic State; Erdogan differs with United States and G-20 on next steps in Syria; Israel rethinks "Shiite axis." Legacy: Gulf
Hamas hands over Arafat’s house, minus some of its belongings Hamas handed over the late President Arafat’s house to the Yasser Arafat Foundation, which some see as good step toward ending internal division, although some of the president’s belongings are missing. Palestine
Surrounded by war, Yemen’s students suffer As children pay the price of war in Yemen, there is an urgent need to quickly rebuild destroyed schools and find alternative safe havens for refugees. Yemen
The declining relationship between Hamas, Egypt Many issues are adding fuel to the fiery relations between Hamas and Egypt. Palestine
Despite Russian airstrikes, FSA continues to confront regime Although recent Russian military strikes in Syria have provided air cover for government forces, the Free Syrian Army continues its battles against the regime. Syria
Can women, Copts make it to parliament without the quota? Women and Copts have been marginalized in the Egyptian political scene, as their representation in parliament has not always been fair. Egypt
Yazidis wary of going back to liberated Sinjar Liberation of the Yazidi Iraqi town Sinjar from 16 months of IS occupation delighted everyone except thousands of Yazidi refugees who have no intention of going back. Iraq
Iran hedges its bets in Syria After joining the Vienna II talks on Syria, Iran continues to hedge its bets, including beefing up the Syrian National Defense Forces, to ensure its ability to protect its interests in the country and the region. Syria
Is the Islamic State going global? The Islamic State is now in a position to decide to go global or stay regional, following the attacks in Paris. Syria
Palestinian media treads fine line between empathy, support for attacks Though the majority of Palestinians are weary of violence and concerned over a new and devastating confrontation, the general atmosphere is inching toward a full-blown intifada. Palestine
Hamas-Fatah squabble puts future of 25,000 Gazan students at risk As the Hamas-Fatah dispute over the chairmanship of Al-Aqsa University continues, the Education Ministry is threatening to revoke the school's accreditation. Palestine
