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
Syrian official slams UN envoy's report According to information a Syrian official shared with Al-Monitor, it doesn’t seem the report on Syria that UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura submitted to the Security Council recently will have long-lasting effects on the ground. Saudi Arabia
Palestinian brothers look to tap into West Bank beer market Despite the troubled economy and stout competition from an established brand, one young Palestinian businessman convinced his family to join him in opening a new brewery in Birzeit. Palestine
More than a year on, who is to blame for the fall of Mosul? An Iraqi parliamentary report has faulted high-ranking political officials and military personnel for the fall of Mosul to the Islamic State and could provide Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi the ammunition he needs to push through government reforms. Iraq
World tunes out Netanyahu's broken record on Iran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated opposition to an agreement with Iran has turned the world deaf to him, and if Iran does violate the deal's conditions, no one will listen to Israel's warnings. Israel
Hamas names new intelligence chief, sidesteps agreement with Fatah The Interior Ministry in Gaza recently announced the appointment of a new chief of intelligence and chief of staff, although some argue there is no precedent or statutory basis for such positions in the ministry. Palestine
Hamas: Israeli security measures won't stop attacks on settlers Israel has stepped up its security measures in the West Bank in response to increasing attacks by Palestinians against settlers, although Hamas says such efforts will not stop it. Palestine
New Russian arms deals could shake up Mideast market As Russia considers expanding in the Iranian and Saudi arms markets, the rest of the world is asking what such moves would mean for Moscow’s foreign policy and security role in the region. Saudi Arabia
Mixed reactions in Tehran to opening of UK embassy Iranian police confront members of the Basij as Britain reopens its embassy in Tehran. Iran
Head of new Reformist group in Iran resigns from party Sadegh Kharazi, who started the Reformist group Neda, resigned from the group. Iran
Hoping to counter Iran, former Israeli defense official calls on Riyadh to add 'security annex' to Arab Peace Initiative With Iran getting stronger and more self-confident, Saudi Arabia should add a "security annex" to its original Arab Peace Initiative to establish a defense cooperation framework between Israel and select Arab states. Legacy: Gulf
Orwell’s 1984 comes to life in Erdogan’s 2015 Turkey Turkey’s president has called on community leaders in villages and neighborhoods to report on “terrorists” in their communities. Turkey
Syria’s lords of war Car dealer and amateur astronomer Hatim Ali Staiti became a warlord and now commands a notorious militia known for fighting for the regime. Syria
