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
Israel satisfied with delay in Iran nuclear deal Following months of meetings with European and US leaders and with intelligence experts, Israel is relieved by the fact that the talks with Iran were extended and that the negotiated deal draft was not signed yet. Israel
To promote wins against IS, Iran's Soleimani emerges Quds Force Cmdr. Qasem Soleimani has been advising Iraqi Shiite militias with some success in the fight against the Islamic State. Iraq
Turkey's response to measles outbreak questioned Some believe the Turkish government is downplaying a measles outbreak compounded by the arrival of Syrian refugees despite warnings by World Health Organization and Turkish medical experts. Syria
Lebanese army makes strides in Tripoli With its success in Tripoli, the Lebanese army is proving itself as the only military institution in the state able to confront terrorism. Lebanon
Israel denies residency to Arab Israelis' Palestinian spouses Israel's denial of residency permits keeps its Arab citizens from reuniting with their Palestinian spouses in Israel. Palestine
Khamenei not opposed to nuclear extension In a speech, Iran's supreme leader has said that he supports the extension on the nuclear talks but slammed the countries involved in the negotiations. Iran
New Arabic site provides Israeli news by Jewish, Arab reporters In an interview, Shimrit Meir, editor of Al-Masdar, talks about the recently launched website backed by the Israel Project in which Jewish and Arab reporters attempt to reveal Israel's complex reality. Israel
Controversial Knesset bills could revoke citizenship Parallel to several bills proposing to revoke the residency or the social rights of people convicted of terrorism, Israeli Interior Minister Gilad Erdan decided to revoke the residency of a man convicted of driving a suicide bomber in 2001, even after he served his jail time. Israel
Davutoglu's gestures fall short of Alevi demands Turkey’s prime minister seeks a fresh “opening” with the Alevi community, but his gestures are far from meeting fundamental Alevi demands. Turkey
Long-awaited Bekaa Valley security plan implemented The Lebanese army has implemented a security plan in the predominantly Shiite areas in the northern Bekaa Valley, amid increasing kidnappings, thefts and killings. Lebanon
Insecurity strengthens Israeli right A poll after the attack on the Har Nof synagogue and an academic study indicate that when Israelis feel threatened, it plays into the hands of the right-wing parties, at the moment benefiting first and foremost the Likud Party. Palestine
Amid war, Damascenes promote cycling with mass bike ride The war did not stop local activists in Damascus from organizing a public bike ride aimed at raising awareness about the benefits of cycling as an alternative means of transportation. Syria
