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
Latest scandal could hand Kahlon election The latest developments in the Netanyahu residence scandal might tip the electoral balance and drive Likud supporters toward Moshe Kahlon's center-right Kulanu Party. Israel
Syria opposition forces claim regime attack in Daraa futile The opposition forces in southern Syria say that the regime, which has launched a battle with its allies Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is not advancing there. Syria
Egyptian students launch anti-harassment campaigns The administration and activist students at Cairo University are making progress against harassment and have started campaigns to encourage victims to speak up and to identify offenders. Egypt
Egypt hopes to lure investors back The Egyptian government is considering a new law to help ease the obstacles investors face and attract future investments. Egypt
PA considers ending economic ties with Israel Palestinians are discussing the possibility of rejecting the Paris Protocol and disengaging economically from Israel following Israel's decision to withhold tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority. Palestine
The importance of Sunni unity in Iraq Instead of exchanging accusations, all Iraqi components should deploy efforts in a bid to unify their ranks in the face of the Islamic State, and to avoid sectarian partition. Iraq
Have AKP's policies caused rise in violence against women? Although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan showed solidarity with the victim’s family, the Justice and Development Party insists on useless populist policies on women’s issues. Turkey
The Iranian gap between Obama, Bibi The perception gap between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Iranian agreement extends beyond negotiation tactics, with Obama aspiring to rehabilitate relations with Iran. Israel
Jordan rejects land offensive against IS, for now Observers believe that Jordan is being dragged into a land offensive against the Islamic State in Syria, using the execution of its pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh as cover. Jordan
Why is Bibi's speech to Congress key for Israel's security? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has headed the battle against nuclear Iran for many years, and his upcoming speech to Congress fits in with his concerns for Israel's existence. Israel
In Turkey, divisive politics leads to more violence Turkey's political scene is already extremely polarized; as an abundance of individual incidents of violence indicate, it is fast becoming a political powder keg. Turkey
Is Twitter giving in to Turkish censorship? Turkish cyber rights activists warn Twitter of legal action for acting as auxiliary to Ankara’s censorship machine. Turkey
