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
Israeli security chiefs modify assessment on Syrian war The Israel Defense Forces estimate that the Syrian war may last a decade, ending with Syria being divided into several cantons, with jihadist forces on the Israeli border and Hezbollah gaining in military experience. Israel
Egypt’s museums looted during riots The wave of unrest and chaos in Egypt has given an opportunity for thieves to loot many of the country’s museums. Egypt
Labor's Herzog demands Palestinian recognition of Israel as Jewish state Statements by opposition leader Isaac Herzog supporting the demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state might pave his way into Benjamin Netanyahu's government, but be detrimental to negotiations. Palestine
Russian wives in Gaza long for home Integration is difficult for the many women from the former Soviet republics who have settled in Gaza with their Palestinian husbands. Palestine
Syria sends diplomats to Geneva, fighters to Yabrud The fighting may intensify around Yabrud as the second round of negotiations in Geneva commence. Syria
Israeli foreign minister shifts to center With perhaps an eye on a future run for prime minister, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman is establishing himself as a key player in US-Iran relations and in any eventual agreement with the Palestinians. Palestine
Hamas deploys border patrol to prevent rocket attacks on Israel A recent round of rocket fire from Gaza and IDF air strikes was followed by an exchange of messages between the two sides and reaffirmation of a commitment by Hamas to try to prevent future rocket fire. Palestine
Safeguarding Iraq’s Jewish Archive Iraq has decided to repatriate some of the Jewish historical documents found in Baghdad after the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime, while others will go on international display, providing a window for the world into Iraq’s cultural heritage. Iraq
Palestinian foreign minister open to Iran visit In an exclusive interview, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said he would accept an official invitation to visit Tehran if such an offer were made. Palestine
Have bombings united the Lebanese Shiites behind Hezbollah? Although many suspect the recent bombings in Lebanon are aimed at breaking Shiite support for Hezbollah, they may be having the opposite effect. Lebanon
Erdogan’s heavy hand in Turkish media Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s personal call to a TV station to immediately stop a news scroll reveals the extent of the restrictions on press freedom in Turkey. Turkey
