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
Did Bibi choose to preserve Hamas to avoid talks with Abbas? In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Knesset member Israel Hasson, a former deputy head of Shin Bet, charges that Prime Minister Netanyahu has chosen to preserve Hamas as part of a strategy to keep Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas weak and unable to negotiate. Palestine
Iran parliament attempts to thwart Ahmadinejad's comeback Concerns about former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's return to office has made Iran's parliament publish a list of violations committed by his administration. Originals
How did Sistani succeed in ousting Maliki? Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani's fortitude, persistence and commitment to a more inclusive Iraqi democracy, along with his outreach to Iran, thwarted Nouri al-Maliki's attempt to serve a third term as prime minister. Iraq
Lebanese banks concerned over Hezbollah sanctions bill Lebanese banks are worried that a US bill aiming to increase sanctions on Hezbollah will weaken confidence in the banking sector. Lebanon
Saudi Arabia toughens stance on jihadist groups Saudi Arabia is responding to widespread accusations that it is supporting extremist groups by publicly toughening its rhetoric against jihadists. Saudi Arabia
As IS advances, Syrian rebels reinforce northern strategic town The rebel-held town of Marea in the Aleppo countryside — the last supply line for the rebels to Turkey — is at risk of falling to the Islamic State. Syria
Tensions rise between Sisi and business sector The relationship between President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Egypt's business community might be undergoing tensions after Sisi declared that businesspeople should donate funds to the state to support the country's economy. Egypt
Turkey, Iran seek to boost trade as mistrust lingers Turkey and Iran have activated an accord to reduce tariffs and increase bilateral trade to $35 billion in 2015, but mistrust lingers between the two neighbors, with Turkey seeking international arbitration over the price of Iranian natural gas. Turkey
Israel must end Gaza-West Bank separation policy The failure of the current talks with Hamas emphasize the urgent need for Israel to end its ''separation policy'' of isolating Gaza from the West Bank. Palestine
Haider al-Abadi's first challenge: forming a government Nouri al-Maliki announced that he was backing down from his demand for a third term, thus recognizing the appointment of Haider al-Abadi, who will be facing major challenges as Iraq's new prime minister. Iraq
Iran cleric: Westernized Iranians no different from IS Iranian cleric Alireza Panahian says that westernized Iranians pose the same threat for the Islamic Republic of Iran as terrorists groups such as the Islamic State. Originals
The new Gaza state Hamas soon can pride itself on imposing an agreement on Israel, which actually opens the way for a future Gaza state — when in fact it only is obtaining what was reasonable to give the Gazans many years ago. Palestine
