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
Is the Oslo Accord at death's door? President Mahmoud Abbas maintains that as long as Israel refuses to adhere to some stipulations agreed upon in the 1993 Oslo Accord, then the Palestinians will not be the only ones "committed" to their implementation. Palestine
Tunisia looks to welcome refugees, migrants with new asylum law Rather than an accidental stopping point for refugees and migrants, Tunisia, with new asylum legislation, can become a destination country. Libya
Did Iranian TV censor Rafsanjani? Iran's national media has been accused of editing out coverage of Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from a commemoration for the hajj stampede victims. Iran
Erdogan uses refugee issue for his own benefit in EU EU leaders' focus during Erdogan’s visit to Brussels was on stemming the flow of Syrian refugees, not on his authoritarian and undemocratic ways. Syria
Another Syrian nightmare, courtesy of the Russians Russian operations are rattling Turkey as militants fleeing Syria infiltrate Turkey. Syria
Russian intervention throws a wrench into Turkey's Syria plans Russian air superiority in Syria has destroyed Ankara's hopes for a safe zone in the north and "Syria without Assad." Syria
Why Israel must protect Abbas Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has ordered his security apparatus to prevent escalation and continue cooperation with Israel, but it is uncertain how long he can hold off the desperate Palestinian street. Palestine
Egypt's secular culture minister ruffles Salafi feathers Comments by new Egyptian Culture Minister Hilmi al-Namnam have sparked criticism from local Salafis as well as Saudi Wahhabis. Saudi Arabia
Does Israel really need Abbas to condemn terror acts? While it is indeed appropriate to expect President Mahmoud Abbas to condemn recent terror acts against Israelis as a humanitarian gesture, Israel’s expectations show that we have our priorities all wrong. Palestine
Car smuggling business revs up as Palestinians skirt Israeli restrictions Some car smugglers in Palestine are carrying out covert importation operations of Chinese cars from Egypt through the tunnels. Palestine
Lessons from the second intifada: Will they be used in a third? The West Bank is witnessing events that could lead to a new uprising, using new methods. Palestine
New gas fields add more heat to already simmering Mediterranean The recent gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean Sea have given the concerned countries, mainly Egypt, Turkey and Israel, a new urgency in settling their maritime border disputes. Egypt
