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
Why Islamic State is no al-Qaeda clone The announcement by the Islamic State of the caliphate and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s self-proclamation as the caliph sets IS apart from Al-Qaeda. Iraq
Peshmerga to 'fill in' for Iraqi army in disputed areas The secretary-general of the Ministry of Peshmerga, Jabbar Yawar, said in an interview with Al-Monitor that the peshmerga forces are merely taking defensive positions against armed groups and have not seized the Iraqi army’s weapons. Iraq
Iran’s Reformist papers accused of lackluster Gaza coverage Conservative media outlets in Iran have attacked Reformist news organizations for failing to report on the conflict in Gaza, prompting the editors to defend their coverage. Palestine
Israel's legal framework for Gaza strikes Declaring Gaza a "belligerent, entity sui generis" has informed Israel’s strategy in the conflict. Palestine
Israel strives to face Hamas terror tactics Unlike Israel, which has warned Palestinian civilians to leave fighting zones, Hamas spent enormous resources building terror tunnels but neglected to build any shelters to defend the Gaza population. Palestine
Egypt's Sisi holds Hamas' fate in his hands Hamas has made a desperate bid for Qatar's support, but even Qatar's money won't save it if Egypt doesn't open the crossings into Gaza. Palestine
Personal appearance by Nasrallah could be target for attacks While Hezbollah sources hint that Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah may appear in person to deliver this year's Quds Day speech, there are questions of whether he can, in light of genuine concerns for his safety. Lebanon
Cease-fire initiatives pit Turkey against Egypt Is Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan more concerned with undermining Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi than to broker a cease-fire in Gaza? Saudi Arabia
Electricity cuts push Gaza's hospitals to brink As part of its offensive, Israel has bombed the Gaza Strip’s electrical infrastructure, resulting in power outages up to 21 hours a day. Palestine
Saudis see Houthi gains in Yemen as advance for Iran Many Saudis are interpreting the Houthis’ sudden advance toward the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, as a message from Iran that it will not tolerate a Sunni Islamist advance on Baghdad. Saudi Arabia
Hamas' ambush tactics revealed in training booklet A guide circulated among al-Qassam fighters outlines how to make the best use of their limited, tactical options in confronting the Israeli ground operation. Palestine
Iran’s foreign minister reports to parliament on nuclear talks Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has reported to the Iranian Parliament on the latest developments in the nuclear talks. Iran
