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
Nuclear negotiators lean in as clock ticks on Iran deal As the March deadline for a nuclear deal looms, Iran and the P5+1 are down to deliberating enrichment capacity and sanctions relief as well as the duration of a final deal. Iran
Davutoglu's tragedy Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has failed to escape the shadow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Al-Azhar refuses to consider the Islamic State an apostate Al-Azhar's refusal to declare the Islamic State an apostate has triggered scrutiny at the growing Salafist faction in the institution. Egypt
Hollande-PYD meeting challenges Erdogan French President Francois Hollande, by hosting at Elysee Palace two Kurdish female leaders from Kobani, sends a strong message to Ankara. Syria
Are tensions straining AKP's inner circle? Despite rumors otherwise, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's relationships with his prime minister and former intelligence chief remain strong. Turkey
Congress eyes military aid boost for Jordan Key House members are seeking to expedite the delivery of precision weapons to fight the Islamic State. Jordan
Bennett, Liberman battle for defense portfolio The next Israeli defense minister, be it Moshe Ya'alon, Avigdor Liberman or Naftali Bennett, will have to cope, together with new IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, with a new reality in which Hezbollah targets Israel from the Syrian border. Israel
Shiite faithful defy danger to visit shrines Shiites continue to risk their lives to visit their shrines, not only for religious purposes but also because they represent the sacrifices their ancestors endured under Sunni oppression. Iraq
Spies' families marginalized in Gaza As the Palestinian resistance publicly executes Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel, the families of the spies suffer marginalization and shame. Palestine
Damascus faces continual power outages Power outages in Damascus are unbearable, yet the government just directs blame at the opposition, failing to provide solutions. Syria
Hamas, Dahlan share rivalry toward Abbas Although officials say relations between former Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan and Hamas are limited to aid provided by Dahlan to the Palestinians in Gaza, the shared enmity toward President Mahmoud Abbas shows otherwise. Palestine
Palestinians rush to condemn murder of Jordanian pilot Right after the gruesome killing of the Jordanian pilot, Jordan’s TV broadcast the Palestinian imam’s condemnation of the crime, which indicates a rapprochement between Palestinians and Jordanians. Palestine
