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
No justice for Turkish women who kill in self-defense Turkish courts rarely offer leniency to women who have killed their husbands in self-defense, mostly because the women are too ashamed to recount tales of their abuse. Turkey
Flurry of IS attacks divert Iraqi army's attention The Islamic State is taking advantage of the fact that the Iraqi army, the peshmerga and tribes are unable to establish a unified command against it by opening several fronts. Iraq
Rouhani, Khamenei on same page in nuclear talks Any differences between Iran's president and supreme leader with respect to the nuclear negotiations are tactical, not strategic, and are unlikely to impede a deal. Iran
Female genital mutilation persists in rural Egypt Although the practice of female genital mutilation in Egypt has decreased, the phenomenon is still omnipresent in villages, prompting civil society and the government to initiate a campaign to raise awareness. Egypt
Israeli violations of truce keep Gazans on edge The Palestinian Center for Human Rights reports that violations of the truce continue, with Israeli forces still firing across the border, hitting civilians and houses and making the entire area unlivable. Palestine
Israel struggles to stop archaeological site raids The discovery of an ancient treasure trove of gold coins by amateur divers off the coast of Caesarea risks sparking even more the appetite of antique thieves, who cause irreversible damage to archaeological sites. Israel
Netanyahu has rejected two-state solution Benjamin Netanyahu has declared several times, even to the US Congress, that he will accept the establishment of a Palestinian state, but all signs indicate that he now rejects a two-state solution. Palestine
Kurdish peshmerga, IS reach stalemate The Kurdish peshmerga forces stationed in Mula Abdula are just a few meters away from the Islamic State militants subject to the international coalition’s airstrikes. Iraq
Iraq's corruption continues unchecked Corruption involving public contracts has become prevalent in Iraq since 2003 and is difficult to stop because government officials are benefitting from it. Iraq
Congress starts to question UN arms embargo on Libya The shift follows a heavy push by Egypt and Jordan after the Islamic State beheading of Coptic Christians. Egypt
Why Lebanon skipped anti-terror meeting in Washington Lebanon decided not to attend the international summit on counterterrorism in Washington when certain Lebanese parties, such as Hezbollah, balked at cooperating with Israel, among other issues. Lebanon
IRGC to reopen its own high schools Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it intends to re-engage with the high school system to train a new generation committed to its goals. Iran
