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 sees 2-phase Iran nuclear deal The US and five other powers will aim to reach an interim agreement that would halt the expansion of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for limited sanction relief before attempting to negotiate a comprehensive deal. Iran
Iranian leaders stress unity in support of Gaza on Quds Day At rallies to mark Quds Day, Iran’s leaders called for Muslim solidarity with the Palestinian people and accused the West of hypocritically supporting human rights while ignoring genocide in Gaza. Iran
Tunnel intelligence failure a wake-up call for Israel The magnitude of the Hamas tunnel network was not correctly assessed by the military and caught Israel by surprise, after which the Security Cabinet approved the ground operation, wishing the international community understood Israel's need to eradicate this threat. Palestine
Moscow treads lightly in Gaza Though Moscow undoubtedly disapproves of Israel’s harsh actions in Gaza, it's being careful not to take an anti-Israel stance. Palestine
The fine line between freedom of speech and treason in Israel When voices flood Israelis from the full ideological spectrum — the radical left, the Arab Israelis, the incitement of the extreme right — the boundaries of free speech in a democracy need to be defined at times of war. Israel
Stop violence in the name of religion Religious leaders unite in a joint appeal against acts of violence in Mosul and across the region. Iraq
Hezbollah, Hamas repair political ties during breakup The fraught relations between Hezbollah and Hamas could come to an end as Israel continues its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Iran dominates Iraqi market after occupation of Mosul Doors closed to the markets of Turkey and Syria after militants took the town of Mosul, leading to a jump in prices for consumers, but a surge in imported Iranian goods could plug the gaps. Iraq
Egypt campaigns against atheism The Egyptian government begins a new program to combat the rise of atheism; however, activists question whether this increase is even real. Egypt
Echoes of apocalypse in Iraq conflict Conflictingn parties' view of the current crisis in Iraq is affected by their own religious views and interpretation of the end of times. Iraq
Israeli rumor mill replaces official information In an interview with Al-Monitor, professor Aviad Kleinberg explains why Israelis tend to spread rumors through social networks as "a way of expressing distrust toward the authorities." Israel
Ayatollah Khamenei calls for armed struggle in West Bank Iran's supreme leader has said that the Israeli and Palestinian people should hold a referendum to decide their fate and that until that happens, the West Bank should begin an armed struggle like Gaza. Palestine
