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
Who will compensate Jewish refugees from Arab lands? Despite a willingness by US envoy Martin Indyk to consider compensation for Jewish refugees as part of an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, no Arab country or the United States has the financial means to make it happen. Israel
Hamas sees Dahlan as bridge to Egypt Former arch rivals Hamas and Mohammed Dahlan have found common ground in that they both oppose President Mahmoud Abbas. Palestine
Gul proposes Turkey-Iran cooperation in Syria Turkish President Abdullah Gul is distancing himself from the political culture and foreign policy of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey
Lebanon fights back against terrorists Despite the ongoing terrorist attacks in Lebanon, the country’s authorities have made significant arrests in their war against terror. Lebanon
Shin Bet report: terror increase originating from West Bank The 2013 Shin Bet report indicates a rise in terror activities originating in the West Bank, attributed partly to the resignation of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the weakening of Fatah security mechanisms. Palestine
The Syria disconnect in US terrorism policy The US national intelligence director, James Clapper, foresees a rise in "political uncertainty and violence" in the Middle East in 2014. Syria
Turkey, Iran seek workaround on Syria Ankara and Tehran are attempting to normalize a relationship put off track by Syria. Turkey
Suicide attack targets Shiite town in Lebanon On Feb. 1, a suicide attack targeted the Shiite-majority town of Hermel in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, the fifth suicide attack against Shiite areas in less than three months. Lebanon
Statements on forming new Iraqi provinces cause uproar Iraq’s Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Torhan al-Mufti caused an uproar when he made statements that the government had decided to transform two Turkmen-majority districts into provinces, yet the actual governmental decisions left the matter open. Iraq
Russia considers role in peace talks, Gaza energy The Kremlin prefers a multilateral, not bilateral, approach to the peace process, while Gazprom considers opportunities in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Al-Qaeda now frontline threat to Israel With gains in Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, al-Qaeda and its affiliates threaten Israel more than ever. Iraq
Syrian foreign minister calls for national unity government In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Walid Moallem, Syria's minister of foreign affairs and expatriates, said that the Syrian National Coalition's rejection of a resolution condemning terrorism was "unfortunate and strange." Syria
