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
Iran analyst: no accountability makes Ahmadinejad return likely An Iranian analyst writes that the return of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is likely given the problems within Iran's executive branch. Iran
Questions remain over Turkey's training of Syrian opposition Many argue that Ankara’s prime motive in signing the accord is to improve strained ties with Washington. Syria
US experts converge on breakout formula for Iran talks There isn’t much daylight between the Barack Obama administration’s breakout estimates for Iran and that of David Albright, a so-called gatekeeper who is influential on nuclear issues within the expert community and on Capitol Hill. Iran
Syrian regime, allies lose decisive battles in Aleppo The regime and its allies have suffered heavy losses in an offensive against the opposition’s largest stronghold in the northern countryside of Aleppo. Lebanon
Turkey targets voters with government benefits Turkey's ruling AKP government has long made a habit of spending big money on social assistance to inspire loyalty and collect votes. Turkey
Liberman, Yadlin: speech won't stop Iranian nuke Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and Zionist Camp's Gen. Amos Yadlin differ on the best reaction to current negotiations with Iran, but both agree that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech in the US Congress is not the way to go. Israel
Traffic snarls, violence accompany Iraqi motorcades The Iraqi prime minister has taken steps to confront the ministerial and official convoys that often act as though they are above the law, but the problems the enormous security details cause are unlikely to end. Iraq
What did Libyans gain from the revolution? Four years into the Libyan civil war and the revolution that toppled Moammar Gadhafi’s regime, thousands of Libyans remain displaced in their own country as political, social and economic problems continue to worsen. Libya
PA trapped by tax revenue freeze Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has allegedly promised Israel to further tighten the noose around Hamas in exchange for Israel unfreezing Palestinian tax revenues. Palestine
Palestinian girl recounts imprisonment Israel has circumvented international law to classify Palestinian children as minors only up to the age of 16, in clear violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in order to arrest and detain Palestinian youths. Palestine
Regional events have Hamas in political limbo Various events and unresolved regional crises have fed Hamas' reluctance to forge regional alliances and take decisive positions on developments in the Arab world. Saudi Arabia
Egypt supports South Sudan to secure Nile share Egypt is implementing several water development projects in South Sudan as the negotiations with Ethiopia over the Renaissance Dam have yet to yield tangible results. Egypt
