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
AKP to its moderates: Don't let the door hit you on your way out A number of moderate Justice and Development Party veterans who dared to express opposition to the course set by Recep Tayyip Erdogan have been excluded from the party’s central committee. Turkey
Why Israeli politicians choose not to call for 'peace' The murder of Alexander Levlovich by stones thrown at his car provoked Israeli politicians into superficial statements on security, instead of prompting a public debate over ways to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestine
Right-wing cyber 'soldiers' take on Israeli human rights organization The Israeli conservative organization My Israel has rallied its members to vote for human rights activists from around the world in a campaign to sabotage the candidacy of B'Tselem, currently a finalist for the Human Rights Tulip award. Palestine
Hamas shifts public relations strategy It seems that Hamas' military wing is now handling the movement's recruitment efforts among Gaza's youth, replacing the previous management by Hamas' political wing. Palestine
Temple Mount violence escalates Riots are spreading from the Temple Mount to East Jerusalem, causing more deaths and injuries, but neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas offer any new solutions. Palestine
Is it time to formally decentralize Iraq? Although Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi proposed a reform project to cut down government size, and thus government expenses, Iraq is in need of a decentralized plan. Iraq
Displaced Yazidis in Georgia find respite, but little else A small number of Iraqi Yazidis fleeing Islamic State attacks in 2014 headed for economically struggling Georgia, where the existing Yazidi community, itself formed by refugees escaping persecution, has been trying to assist them. Iraq
Iranian authorities scramble to stop 'Beat the Arab' An online game targeting Arabs and hosted on Iranian websites is prompting authorities to take action. Saudi Arabia
Land-grabbing captures attention of Iranians Mutual accusations of land-grabbing by two Iranian lawmakers reignite media coverage and public debate about this contentious issue. Iran
Rouhani defends nuclear deal to IRGC In his speech defending the nuclear deal to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani drew wide attention for calling other threats such as pollution and economic deterioration just as serious as Western influence. Iran
Russia deepens Turkey’s Syrian impasse Moscow’s increasing military support for the Assad regime makes a reassessment of Ankara’s Syria policy essential. Syria
Why the Gulf isn't to blame for Syrian refugee crisis Oil-rich Gulf states are defending their record in assisting Syrian refugees as world opinion grows more hostile to their perceived indifference. Legacy: Gulf
