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
What message is Saudi Arabia sending with war games? Saudi Arabia has just finished its largest war games in recent history, signalling its intent to develop its military capabilities in an increasingly unstable region. Saudi Arabia
Details emerge on Palestinian Gaza declaration The Palestinian reconciliation deal appears to be moving ahead, with Hamas and Fatah agreeing to return the presidential guards to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Palestine
Kerry's warning to Israel lost in furor over 'apartheid' Instead of internalizing the warning from US Secretary of State John Kerry about a single-state solution, pro-Israel advocates in the United States and the Israeli right focused instead on his choice of words. Palestine
Turkish liberals should back Erdogan's message to Armenians Turks should come to terms with the Armenian genocide, recognize the momentous step taken by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and embrace the legacy of the many Turkish officials who saved Armenians from death. Turkey
Iraqi election could lead to partition Iraqi parties across the political spectrum seek to break Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s monopoly on the central government. Iraq
Iraqi elections marred by hit squads targeting candidates Amid rising assassination attempts of candidates for today’s Iraqi parliamentary elections, some political blocs are accusing parties in the government of being behind these operations. Iraq
Turkey's Syria borders an open door for smugglers Guns, people and stolen goods move with surprising ease and regularity over a sensitive border. Syria
Israeli presidential hopeful supports Palestinian deal In an interview with Al-Monitor, Meir Sheetrit supports Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, even though this might not be the most popular stance with the Israeli public for a presidential hopeful. Palestine
Rouhani administration on defensive over house arrests The recent heart troubles of opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousavi has put the Rouhani administration on the defensive over its progress on the continuing house arrests. Iran
Head of Lebanon’s Islamic Group opposes any intervention in Syria In an interview with Al-Monitor, Azzam al-Ayoubi, head of the political bureau of the Islamic Group in Lebanon, said that his party has no official ties with Hezbollah and revealed that Saudi Arabia had assured his organization that it would not be included on its expanded terrorism list. Originals
Will Turkey’s Central Bank governor survive purge? Fears grow over a looming purge at Turkey’s Central Bank, but the bank’s governor is expected to retain his post. Turkey
Israel worried Indyk will walk US Secretary of State John Kerry should table an American peace proposal and step away. Palestine
