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
Larijani: US must fully implement nuclear deal In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, praised President Barack Obama’s "wisdom" in negotiating a nuclear deal, but chided the United States for backing Saudi military intervention in Yemen. Iran
Facebook users take aim at crime, security checkpoints, life in Syria Syrians are using social media to share their experiences, including at regime-controlled checkpoints, in this case with the goal of reaching decision-makers and improving the treatment of those stopped at them. Syria
Is Abbas leaving legacy of failure? For the moment, President Mahmoud Abbas' legacy is commendable for rejecting terrorism in the Palestinian movement, but condemnable for not accepting peace proposals with the caveat of continuing to negotiate the details. Palestine
Iraq’s Bedouin forced to settle down Although many Iraqi Bedouin tribes have had to give up their nomadic lifestyle and have settled, they do not have access to basic services such as health care and education due to the Iraqi government’s neglect. Iraq
Palestinian archives remain scattered The Palestinian Authority is unable to retrieve Palestinian archives from around the world and store them safely and accessibly, though items such as Jerusalem real estate records currently housed in Turkey would have helped the PA in its legal battle against Israeli settlers. Palestine
You won't believe what's happening to these Israeli teachers Motivated by populism and the political climate, the mayors of Ashkelon and Ramat Gan have been attacking left-wing educators for legal activities pursued in their free time. Palestine
Could US state sanctions on Iran unravel nuke deal? Critics of the nuclear agreement say states have it in their power to kill it, but do they really? Congress
For Iranian teachers, another day, another rial Iranian teachers face a crackdown in response to their protests for better conditions. Iran
The king finally comes to town King Salman of Saudi Arabia won't find solutions to his country's deepest problems during his visit to Washington. Legacy: Gulf
Turkish daily exposes transfer of weapons to IS The feud between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his rivals in the Gulen movement is turning up news: Is there a link between exposure and the police raid of newspaper offices? Syria
Soleimani: US power in region has declined Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani addressed Iran's Assembly of Experts about regional issues including Iraq, US influence and the wars in Syria and Yemen. Iran
US veterans fight over Iran deal Congress is getting mixed messages from Americans who’ve battled Tehran. Congress
