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
US leverages Iran-Iraq-Syria axis against Islamic State New alignment offers the potential for breakthrough in the battle against extremist groups; the Arab world has a pulse, not an illness. Iraq
Harsh winter awaits Gaza's displaced As winter draws closer, displaced families in the Gaza Strip are still waiting for reconstruction to begin on their homes. Palestine
Hezbollah squeezed out of Golan by Jabhat al-Nusra, Israel The infiltration of Syrian militants into Lebanon threatens Hezbollah’s presence in the strategic Golan Heights. Israel
Desperate Gazans frustrated by Hamas-Fatah squabbles The disputes between Hamas and Fatah over the reconstruction process in Gaza have infuriated Gazans who desperately need assistance. Palestine
Proposed Egyptian law to reduce restrictions on building churches The houses of worship law is likely to pass in the Egyptian parliament, but the problem lies in whether the government can enforce it amid the apprehensions of radical Salafists. Egypt
Fighting robs Iraqi farmers of harvest The Islamic State attacks and defensive military operations have affected the agricultural sector in Iraq's Salahuddin province, where wheat production had been expected to reach 4.5 million tons this year. Iraq
Israelis feel betrayed by celebrity rabbi’s corruption Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto's plea bargain has exposed the extent of abuse by Israel's popular rabbis, some of whom have made hundreds of millions of shekels in donations from their followers. Israel
Moscow backs fight against IS … to an extent Russia is expressing cautious solidarity with the United States in fighting the Islamic State, while continuing its unequivocal support of the Syrian government. Iraq
Rouhani's meeting with Cameron draws criticism in Iran Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has been criticized for comments made by UK Prime Minister David Cameron after the two conducted a "historic" meeting. Iran
Exclusive: PKK commander threatens to resume war In an exclusive interview, the Kurdistan Workers Party's (PKK) top military commander, Cemil Bayik, says that Turkey has sabotaged the peace process and the PKK is ready to resume open conflict. Turkey
Security ministries on hold in Iraq Iraq's parliament has failed to vote on the candidates proposed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for the posts of interior and defense ministers, letting the country slip down a dangerous path. Iraq
Turkey threatens credit rating agencies Turkey’s top leaders have threatened to cancel the contracts of credit rating agencies Fitch and Moody’s as financial markets get nervous at the prospect of Turkey being downgraded. Turkey
