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
An inside look at IDF's 'faith-driven' warriors The IDF and Israeli society as a whole must cope with religious-Zionist commanders, who perceive fighting terrorism in Gaza as a divine decree, thus reshaping the military ethos. Israel
131 House members sign letter supporting US diplomacy with Iran (Updated) 17 House Republicans and 114 House democrats signed a letter to President Obama urging him to commit to diplomacy following the election of new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Iran
Livni and Lapid should back Palestinian unity government Against the backdrop of the Gaza war, Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni must propose that Cabinet accept the Palestinian unity government and grant it responsibility for Gaza crossing points. Palestine
Challenges face Gazans seeking treatment in West Bank Some of Gaza’s injured are receiving medical attention in the West Bank, but Israeli restrictions are making it difficult to get more of the wounded across. Palestine
Hamas warns Gazans have 'nothing to lose' The deadlock remains in Cairo, as Israel refuses to budge on Hamas’ demand to lift the siege and the Palestinian group, warning it will return to the battlefield if no progress is made. Palestine
Pro-Erdogan LGBT individuals get organized in Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s presidential campaign got support from unlikely quarters when Islamic-leaning LGBT individuals raised the rainbow flag at a rally in Istanbul. Turkey
Meet the female peshmerga forces fighting IS Kurdish female peshmerga fighters are joining the battle against the Islamic State to thwart any possible attack against Kurdish areas. Iraq
Aleppo's forgotten Christians The ethnic cleansing of Christians in Mosul has alarmed Aleppo's large Christian community, which criticizes the West for failing to protect the Middle East's Christians. Syria
Gaza war bill estimated at $5 billion The Gaza Strip will have to undergo a third reconstruction in fewer than seven years, which will test the ability of the Palestinian factions to cooperate and respond effectively. Palestine
US Deputy NSA Blinken's unannounced visit to UAE to discuss Egypt President Obama's Deputy National Security Advisor Antony Blinken took an unannounced trip to the United Arab Emirates earlier this week to consult with Emirati, Iraqi, and other Gulf country officials on Egypt, the White House has told Al-Monitor. Egypt
Signs of progress in Kerry peace bid US Secretary of State John Kerry extended his trip to the middle east to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in an effort overcome obstacles to resuming negotiations. Palestine
Kerry: agreement for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to resume US Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will come to Washington DC next week to begin peace talks. Palestine
