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
Is Lebanon next target of Islamic State? Lebanon battles extremist armed groups; Egypt’s political isolation in Gaza; Iran’s shift on Hamas; family of Al-Monitor columnist killed by Israeli airstrike; lobbying series continues. Palestine
Turkey downplays IS threat, but concerns grow As the Islamic state draws closer to the Turkish border and Ankara struggles to overcome its differences with the Iraqi administration, Turkey may be left to face the jihadist threat on its own. Iraq
Erdogan's divisive politics will give him first-round victory Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's fervent ethnic and religious discrimination will enable him to win in the first round of Turkey's presidential election. Turkey
Israeli media wakes up to Gaza destruction, criticism With the war nearing its end, Israeli media features the destruction of Gaza, not only in numbers but in images, exposing the Israeli public to the suffering of the Palestinians and to harsh criticism voiced by European leaders. Palestine
US airstrikes alone will not defeat IS The US militarily intervention in Iraq will be limited, according to President Barack Obama. Iraq
Moscow sees opportunity in Iraq instability Moscow is continuing arms sales to Iraq and pursuing a policy that may allow it to weaken US influence in the country. Iraq
Feeling heat, Maliki warns Sistani against opposing third term Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani hinted at Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s intention to seek a third term, saying that Iraqi officials should not cling to their positions in power. Iraq
Gaza war brings Hamas, Hezbollah closer The war on Gaza offers an opportunity to renegotiate the strategic relationship between Hamas and Hezbollah, whose relationship has been severed over the past three years, providing major obstacles can be overcome. Qatar
Appointments: Political-Military Affairs Puneet Talwar, Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council senior director for Iran, Iraq, and the Persian Gulf, is expected to be nominated as Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs. Originals
Higginbottom mulled for Management and Resources Deputy Secretary US officials have said that State Department counselor Heather Higginbottom is being strongly considered for the post of Deputy Secretary of State for management and resources.. Originals
Kerry meets Syria opposition US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the US and Moscow are both committed to convening for peace talks "as soon as possible." Syria
Peace talks to get underway, Kerry names Indyk envoy Following informal talks between Israeli, Palestinian, and US diplomats, US Secretary of State john Kerry will host Israeli and Palestinian negotiators for an iftar dinner as the peace process resumes after a three year hiatus. Palestine
