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
With Iraqi roads blocked, demand for flights from Baghdad soars The continued instability in Iraq is forcing residents to flee. With land borders blocked by fighting, people are forced to wait more than a month for plane tickets. Iraq
Israel continues to strike targets at home Human rights activists charge that Israel’s bombing of civilian homes in Gaza where a member might be a combatant constitutes a violation of international law. Palestine
Conservative Iranian newspaper editor insists on nuclear red lines Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the hard-line newspaper Kayhan, has identified several challenges facing the nuclear talks in Vienna. Iran
Intolerance becoming all too common in Israel A heated public debate has been building between the extreme left and right in Israel, threatening to explode into violence. Israel
Hamas: no cease-fire until siege of Gaza lifted The United States is indirectly communicating with Hamas via its regional allies to negotiate a cease-fire, but Hamas is insisting that Israel lift its crippling siege on Gaza. Palestine
Baath spokesman denies alliance with Islamic State The spokesman of the Baath Party, Khodair al-Morshedi, considers the Islamic State (IS) a terrorist organization and denies having any ties with it. Iraq
Hatred of Hamas leaves Egyptians unsympathetic Many Egyptians, upset with Hamas for its alleged support of terrorism against their country, are not expressing much sympathy for the Gaza Strip in its conflict with Israel. Palestine
Was Turkey’s corruption probe a 'coup attempt'? The assertion that the December corruption probe in Turkey was an attempt to bring down the government is a Machiavellian notion that places political goals above the principle of justice. Turkey
Coastal Syrians carry on despite threat of Islamic State Regime supporters along the Syrian coast are confident the Syrian army can triumph and that the Islamic caliphate declared by the Islamic State in eastern parts of the country won’t last. Syria
West Bank clashes intensify amid Gaza war Israel’s war on Gaza, with its heavy civilian casualties, is fueling already tense clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. Palestine
Facebook activists sentenced to prison, lashes in Iran Eight Iranian Facebook activists have been sentenced to prison for terms ranging from eight to 21 years. Iran
Who is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? Details emerge about the years that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State, spent in Afghanistan. Iraq
