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
Turkey's mosque-building diplomacy Turkey is running a state-sponsored program to build mosques in countries from Kazakhstan to Cuba, which some say prevents more radical groups to gain power and is widening Turkey’s global influence. Turkey
Palestinians prepare 'diplomatic intifada' With Israel preoccupied with elections and the Arab world preoccupied with fighting the Islamic State, the Palestinians feel sidelined and are looking to launch a "diplomatic intifada." Palestine
Hezbollah, Future Movement find 'delicate stability' for now The dialogue between Hezbollah and the Future Movement continues despite the limited results it has yielded so far. Israel
Netanyahu drops diplomacy in re-election bid Sensing the disillusionment of the Israeli public over the Palestinian issue, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has focused his campaign agenda elsewhere. Palestine
Egypt sees al-Azhar as key to Africa Egypt is seeking to reinvigorate its role on the African continent and restore its influence through missions by al-Azhar clerics. Egypt
Arab list is stronger without Zoabi The removal of Knesset member Haneen Zoabi, known for her provocative anti-Israeli stance, may make it easier for Israelis to vote for the new joint Arab party. Israel
Palestinian government allows entry of Israeli goods into Gaza The Palestinian government has said that the decision is a temporary measure made necessary by the destruction to factories during the last Gaza war. Palestine
Is Hamas planning a strike from Lebanon's refugee camps? A senior Hamas leader's call to open new fronts against Israel from Lebanon was neither confirmed nor denied by the movement, raising questions about the possibility of forming cells on the ground. Palestine
Knockoff drugs endanger Egyptians Counterfeit medications have become a common problem in Egypt, which has no central drug commission or strong laws penalizing their production and sale. Egypt
Congress demands review after Islamic State aid theft Lawmakers demand government review after militants shown distributing UN packages. Syria
Does Iran really control Yemen? Statements by Iranian officials about the importance of the rise of Houthis in Yemen demonstrates that Iran would like to give the perception that there is a new member of the axis of resistance. Yemen
Khamenei agrees with Congress: no deal better than a bad deal While there's talk of a preliminary deal in March, Iran's supreme leader says he is opposed to a multistep agreement. Iran
