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
Why is Turkey buying more gas than it needs from Iran? Why does Turkey want to double its gas imports from Iran when it's already importing more gas than it consumes? Turkey
Erdogan counting on elections to recoup from scandals Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is banking on the polls, not the courts, to vindicate himself from the current allegations of corruption. Turkey
Valentine’s Day a day of hope in Iraq Iraqis began celebrating Valentine’s Day after the fall of the regime of former President Saddam Hussein in 2003, but it is not just for couples — it serves as a means to express one’s love for the country. Iraq
Turkey’s warring personality cults In the absence of well-grounded institutions, politics in Turkey often devolves into a battle of personalities, as we see now between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen. Turkey
Sisi not Egypt’s civilian Messiah Whoever becomes Egypt’s next president must do three things, including bringing all political parties together if Egypt is to be able to rebuild its economy and political institutions. Egypt
Nasrallah talks Palestine after bombings in Lebanon Following reports that Palestinian nationals have been involved in planning and carrying out recent suicide attacks in Lebanon, there are concerns that it could lead to a division between Palestinian and Lebanese factions involved in the resistance against Israel. Palestine
The Jordan Option and Al-Aqsa Mosque Jordan is torn between its special role in East Jerusalem and its concerns over the Palestinian impact on Jordanian identity. Palestine
Gaza border residents live under constant Israeli fire Israeli troops regularly fire on Gaza's border residents, with locals suspecting Israel is trying to reestablish a buffer zone inside the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Knesset member: Netanyahu can't pass an agreement In an interview with Al-Monitor, Knesset member Orit Strock repeats the message she and her associates delivered to US Ambassador Dan Shapiro — that their coalition will block an agreement with the Palestinians. Palestine
Gaza Salafists pledge allegiance to ISIS Al-Qaeda's decision to cut ties with the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) continues to polarize the global jihadist network, with Gaza's Salafists siding with the latter. Palestine
Armed groups on rise in Anbar The Anbar crisis is escalating to the point where people have lost their faith and trust in the army and government as sectarian fighting intensifies. Iraq
Barrel bombings cause mass evacuation in east Aleppo An exclusive first hand report on how fearful residents, along with opposition forces, have fled east Aleppo en masse as the Syrian government's barrel bombing campaign shows no sign of relenting. Syria
