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
Gaza employees victims of political maneuvering Gaza government employees have not received salaries in over a year in some cases due to political disputes. Palestine
Sinai attack threatens Egypt-Hamas ties Egypt has accused Hamas of being behind the latest attack in Sinai, but Hamas vehemently denied this, saying the security of Egypt is closely related to Gaza’s security. Palestine
Arab Knesset member threatens to leave parliament In an interview, Arab Knesset member Basel Ghattas warns of a growing trend where Israeli politics is no longer a fair game, which might lead to his faction leaving parliament. Palestine
Alawites find their voice against Assad Alawites in Syria are protesting the rise in fuel prices as criticism of the regime and its policies becomes more common and open. Syria
Turkey finds out one is the loneliest number The regional and global loneliness Ankara dragged itself into with its foreign policy since 2009 is becoming hazardous with the threat from the Islamic State. Iraq
Islamic banking gains ground in Turkey In a first for Turkey, a state-run bank is poised to enter the Islamic banking sector, and other major state lenders are expected to follow. Turkey
Egyptian cinema tries to find its place Post-revolution cinema in Egypt has found it must walk a fine line and ensure that it is criticizing the right people, as "The Island 2" currently in cinemas does its best to. Egypt
Is NATO membership shackling Turkey? Pro-government Turkish analysts argue that NATO membership has become a shackle on Turkey, hampering the country’s ambitions to become a global actor. Turkey
Slow progress in Saudi-Iranian ties Although Saudi and Iranian officials have cemented talks in recent months, this is not significant enough to alter ties between the two foes. Legacy: Gulf
Netanyahu's Jerusalem construction a stalling strategy Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is escalating the situation in East Jerusalem by announcing more construction plans that, even if not enacted, assure the stability of his right-wing coalition and head off talks with the Palestinians. Israel
Iraqi battle seen as key victory in Iran The battle in Jurf al-Sakhar was portrayed by a number of conservative Iranian media outlets as key to forcing the Islamic State into retreat and eventually taking back Anbar province. Iraq
Palestinian elections on hold until further notice The reconciliation government has yet to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as Hamas and Fatah accuse each other of stalling this democratic process. Palestine
