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
Bibi blames everyone but himself for recent violence The Israeli government blames incitement for a series of stabbing attacks by individual Palestinians instead of acknowledging the real reasons they are willing to take such a risk. Palestine
Will social media spark a third intifada? Social media campaigns encourage and intensify the recent Palestinian outbreak that no party can control unless one "thinks differently," suggests media analyst Orit Perlov. Palestine
Jordanian palace silent on Russian intervention in Syria Some commentators argue that Jordan's lack of comment on Russia's involvement in Syria is related to the kingdom's acceptance of Moscow's position that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad be part of a postwar transitional phase. Legacy: Gulf
Gaza tunnels, how did it all start? The division of Rafah led to the creation of the tunnels, which are still being used to smuggle goods from Egypt to the Gaza Strip despite Egyptian authorities’ efforts to the contrary. Palestine
Netanyahu weighs more aggressive action as Hamas leader backs 'intifada' The Israeli prime minister is under pressure from the Israeli right as Israeli-Palestinian violence escalates; Syrian Kurdish leaders back Russian intervention to battle the Islamic State. Palestine
US to arm Syrian Kurds, rebel groups fighting IS The Pentagon will pause its beleaguered Syria train and equip program to instead provide arms and air support to Syrian Kurdish and Arab rebel groups already fighting the Islamic State. Syria
What could 'harsh' Iranian reaction to Riyadh constitute? Amid increasingly heated rhetoric between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the question arises of what a "harsh" reaction that Tehran has warned of may actually entail. Saudi Arabia
Iranian general killed in Syria came back for special operation An Iranian general recently killed in Syria had returned to Tehran nearly a year ago and went back to Syria recently to take part in a special operation. Syria
Russia’s Syria strikes hold both strategic, symbolic importance Syrian rebels are holding their ground in the south, but Russia is keeping the opposition in check. Syria
Will government reshuffle stamp out corruption in Egypt? Deficiencies in corruption reports and loopholes in the law make weeding out corruption in Egypt an optimistic scenario, to say the least. Egypt
Egyptians face religious extremism with song Singers shake things up by combining Christian and Muslim praise to stress the importance of unity and coexistence regardless of religious affiliations. Egypt
Bibi looks to score political points from current wave of terror Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has addressed the public directly after the stabbing in Tel Aviv, telling Israelis that they aren't facing a new intifada and that Israel's most experienced security chiefs are capable of containing the violence. Palestine
