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
House bill demands tougher line against Hezbollah Bipartisan legislation introduced Monday in the House Foreign Affairs Committee pushes sanctions against financial institutions and satellite providers that aid Hezbollah. Lebanon
Israel, Rwanda build ties on shared experiences of genocide Twenty years after the Rwandan genocide, Israel and Rwanda's relations reflect the changes each nation has undergone, with Rwanda taking after Israel in dealing with a genocide and building a promising future. Israel
Sisi counting on Gulf aid to deal with Egypt's economic crisis Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hopes that more Gulf aid will convince Egyptians he can deal with their country's economic troubles, but some are skeptical. Egypt
Egypt's media blackout on Sinai The Egyptian government's crackdown on militants in Sinai has been subject to security restrictions on media coverage. Egypt
Next Lebanese president depends on Tehran, Riyadh Influential regional players, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, are so far unable to agree on a presidential candidate in Lebanon. Saudi Arabia
Kerry has no excuse for failure in peace talks The US secretary of state should now offer an accelerated timetable for the acceptance of Palestine as a member of the United Nations. Palestine
Turkey’s Africa policies blend hard, soft power Turkey’s humanitarian initiatives in Africa are complemented by business and strategic policies as well. Turkey
Erdogan’s victory a warning to West Despite his party’s win in the municipal elections, the Turkish prime minister’s policies, including toward Syria, are likely to lead to further political polarization and distance from the United States and Europe. Syria
Can Sisi end terrorism in Egypt? A political solution is essential but perhaps not sufficient to end terrorism in Egypt any time soon. Egypt
ISIS expands in areas around Baghdad Witnesses report that the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has been entering cities surrounding Baghdad, raising al-Qaeda flags and leaving before the arrival of security forces. Iraq
Palestinians are right to go UN route US aid to the Palestinians represents an ongoing effort to deny them access to the United Nations and thus statehood. Palestine
Erdogan’s fractured ties to the West Some are speculating that following the victory of the Justice and Development Party in municipal elections, Turkey might seek to build bridges to the West, but this would require a shift in Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s approach. Turkey
