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
Turks dislike Islamic State, but would leave fight to others A recent survey by Metropoll, a prominent Turkish polling company, indicates that only 1.3% of Turks are sympathetic toward the Islamic State. Syria
Islamic Jihad’s popularity grows after Gaza war The public approval ratings of Islamic Jihad received a boost after the Gaza war, benefiting from the group's determination to stay out of the Hamas-Fatah feud. Palestine
Egyptian visit to Ethiopian dam raises hopes for resolution Egypt and Ethiopia are showing a willingness to resolve the dispute over the Renaissance Dam, but some fundamental concerns still remain. Egypt
Hamas weighs alternatives to Palestinian unity government Hamas holds little faith in the newly established consensus government, accusing President Mahmoud Abbas of putting aside the needs of the people of Gaza. Palestine
Gaza hospital cleaners strike Hospital cleaners in Gaza are on strike over unpaid wages from the consensus government, one of many problems in Gaza since the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas. Palestine
Islamic State attacks test Kurdish-Syrian rebel alliance The Islamic State’s offensive against the Kurdish stronghold of Kobani came only days after the People’s Protection Units formed an alliance with local Syrian rebel brigades to confront the terrorist group. Syria
Israel unprepared for its aging population In an interview with Al-Monitor, Minister of Senior Citizen Affairs Uri Orbach says that Israel is unprepared for the global phenomenon of prolonged lifespans, with too many poor elderly, and must act rapidly to assure pension resources before it's too late. Israel
Erdogan says Turkey will join fight against Islamic State Ankara is being forced to get off the fence and join allies against the growing threat from IS and similar groups. Turkey
Syrian rebels' access blocked to key Damascus neighborhood Syrian regime and opposition forces continue to clash in suburbs around Damascus, where the rebels are working in vain to reinforce the Jobar front. Syria
Iran nuclear negotiators have no 'authority' to discuss IS Iranian Gen. Massoud Jazayeri said that Iran's nuclear negotiators only have the authority to conduct talks on the nuclear issue, and not the Islamic State, with US officials. Iran
How Israel spies on Sinai Israel recruits Egyptian smugglers in the Sinai Peninsula to perform various missions for Israeli intelligence. Egypt
Iranian conservative says the US needs Iran In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iranian conservative Amir Mohebian discussed why he believes Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is pessimistic about the nuclear negotiations, how US policy in the Middle East has benefited Iran and how the United States is now in a position where it needs Iran to deal with regional issues. Iraq
