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
AKP government under fire over coal mine tragedy Was the mine disaster in Turkey, which has claimed at least 283 lives, the result of flawed policies and negligent acts, or an inevitable accident? Turkey
Fahmy: Egypt seeks talks, not conflict, over Ethiopian dam In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy rejects conditionality on US aid while stressing progress on the road map as key to US-Egypt ties. Egypt
'Rogue' forces have started up again, says Khatami-era official Former Deputy Interior Minister Morteza Mobalegh has said that the activities of disruptive "rogue" forces have intensified once again after quieting throughout Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency. Iran
Egypt's cold realism on Syria Egyptian officials are focusing on their own politics for now, while expecting a protracted conflict in Syria. Egypt
International efforts against Al-Qaeda key to Syria political solution A UN counterterrorism committee can do even more to coordinate a more effective response to al-Qaeda in Syria and eventually a political resolution of the conflict. Syria
Islamic Jihad cautious on Palestinian reconciliation deal Palestinian Islamic Jihad is concerned a warming of Hamas-Fatah ties will come at the expense of its own relations with Hamas. Palestine
An Israeli scare campaign about Iran's nuclear program? Some Israeli security experts doubt that Iran truly aspires to produce a nuclear bomb, blaming Israeli leadership of using scare tactics. Israel
Former IRGC leader claims Iran's border to Lebanon's shores The Lebanese presidential elections are of a piece with Iran's regional strategy. Lebanon
Iran Foreign Ministry welcomes Saudi overture Iranian officials have lauded the invitation of Iran's foreign minister to visit Saudi Arabia, but improving relations will take much more than diplomacy. Saudi Arabia
Hamas tones down Brotherhood links to improve Egypt ties Hamas is positioning itself to welcome Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as Egypt’s likely next president, hoping it will result in an improvement in relations. Palestine
Uncertain prospects for Iraqi 'Sunni Alliance' It is unclear whether the three currents can unite on unified Sunni interests. Iraq
Israeli election season starts early Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition is submerged in a general pre-election atmosphere, where each party tries to score points with its electorate and the media. Israel
