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 message on enrichment helped open Iran channel Secret US-Iran diplomatic contacts got underway after US President Barack Obama conveyed a message that the United States would be prepared to accept limited Iran enrichment program in a serious nuclear agreement. Iran
Israel considers costs of escalation in Gaza Gaza residents bear the costs of war; Israel weighs its option with Hamas; Al-Monitor interviews Iraqi political leaders; the forgotten war in Syria. Palestine
Hamas' attack on Israel destroys Gaza Hamas rose to power through those in Gaza who wished to better their dire situation, but the movement chose to invest its resources in attacking Israel, ignoring the devastating consequences of its choice on the population. Palestine
Israeli strike kills family having coffee Members of the Hamad family were sitting drinking coffee in front of a relative’s home when an Israeli strike claimed their lives. Palestine
Israel and Hamas' lose-lose situation The current escalation in the Gaza Strip could have been avoided had Israel truly agreed to the two-state solution, thus nullifying the political force of Hamas and its desire to hurt Israel at any cost. Palestine
The sirens of Tel Aviv The people of Tel Aviv insist on maintaining normalcy by going to the beach and watching the World Cup, despite the rockets flying overhead, yet, something in the city has cracked this time around. Palestine
Global jihad benefits from Gaza crisis As Arab states do little to intervene in Gaza, militant jihadism continues to spread throughout the region. Palestine
Iraqi minorities victim of sectarian conflict The minorities in Iraq are subject to religious restrictions in the areas controlled by the Islamic State, which might lead to their extinction. Iraq
Who fired the rockets from Lebanon? The group who fired two rockets into Israel is unknown, but the Lebanese army is tracking a suspect who may resolve the mystery. Palestine
Turkey’s LGBT fight uphill but not hopeless battle While Turkey’s LGBT community faces significant challenges, events such as this year’s Gay Pride Parade in Istanbul and Turkey’s first transsexual beauty pageant indicate small yet significant steps are being made to secure LGBT rights. Turkey
Netanyahu, Ya'alon prefer airstrikes over ground attack Lessons learned from the second Lebanon war, international objections and politics are all playing a part in Turkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to postpone a Gaza ground attack. Palestine
Egypt distances itself from Gaza war Egypt is not playing an active role to mediate a cease-fire, as it has done in previous confrontations between Israel and Hamas, suggesting that it might prefer Israel delivering a blow to Hamas. Palestine
