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 offers cash rewards for marrying early The Justice and Development Party government is offering incentives to encourage university students to get married before graduation and to have more than three children. Turkey
Israeli right ditches effort to topple Netanyahu Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, former Minister Moshe Kahlon and others are positioning themselves to join a possible right-wing coalition government after accepting the impossibility of toppling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with votes from the center. Israel
Labor candidate calls for coalition with Arab parties In an interview with Al-Monitor, Labor Party candidate Zuhair Bahloul calls upon the Arab parties to adopt a different strategy and demonstrate willingness to join a Labor-led coalition after the elections. Israel
Unity government a recipe for diplomatic disaster Zionist Camp co-chair Isaac Herzog has refused to reject joining a unity government with the Likud, although the leftist parties in such governments typically end up serving as "defense attorney" for right-wing policies. Palestine
Turkey's intelligence czar resigns to run for office The resignation of intelligence chief Hakan Fidan to run for parliament becomes the center of debate in Turkey. Turkey
Obama: 'Iran’s program has not advanced' US allies puzzled by March deadline for consideration of Senate sanctions bill; Iran’s gesture to Saudi Arabia; Iran’s man in Beirut; Erdogan’s anti-Western pivot; Aleppo’s fuel shortage; Israel reconciling to Hamas? Saudi Arabia
Suicide rates on rise in Gaza Suicide cases are increasing in the Gaza Strip as a result of the wars waged by Israel that cause psychological, economic and social problems. Palestine
Congress to scrutinize Obama’s Islamic State strategy A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Feb. 9. Iraq
US-Saudi mark 70 years of rocky alliance Seventy years ago, FDR and Ibn Saud met on a cruiser to initiate an alliance that has persisted ever since. Saudi Arabia
Rouhani VP voices frustration with administration Iran's vice president for Women and Family Affairs has voiced concern over the lack of attention paid by the administration to women's issues. Iran
Aleppo's displaced find refuge in Kurdish regions The residents of Aleppo are fleeing the regime’s shelling toward the north, mainly to Sheikh Maksoud neighborhood, where the local council tries its best to meet their needs. Syria
Liberman suspends Israeli diplomats for Twitter criticism Three Israeli diplomats have been suspended after criticizing the government on their personal Twitter accounts, revealing the despair felt by many of their colleagues vis-à-vis Israel's current foreign policy. Israel
