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
Baghdad, Erbil continue their struggle for authority Disagreements between the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government and the central government in Baghdad will persist until the two sides reach agreement on interpretation of the constitution. Iraq
Gaza youth dream of jobs in Qatar Amid increasing unemployment rates in the Gaza Strip, youth have warmly welcomed an agreement between the Palestinian and Qatari governments to employ 20,000 additional Palestinians in Qatar. Qatar
Why is Turkish writer Sevan Nisanyan in jail? The outspoken Armenian writer is the only Turkish citizen jailed for "construction infractions." Turkey
Netanyahu seizes chance to put Bennett in his place Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be encouraged by a poll that anticipates 18 mandates for a new party headed by him, if he decides to reshape the Likud Party or form a new coalition. Palestine
Iraqis divided over new national anthem Although Saddam Hussein’s regime fell more than a decade ago, Iraqi political disputes have prevented the country from adopting a new national anthem. Iraq
Sisi benefits from early presidential elections The Egyptian authorities' decision to hold presidential elections before parliamentary elections will strengthen Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's chances of winning, if he runs, but he could still see a decline in popularity during the campaign. Egypt
Netanyahu reveals no intention of settler withdrawal Against the backdrop of Israeli attempts to blame President Mahmoud Abbas for the failure of the peace talks, a new study recommends immediate steps to separate from the Palestinians, thus preserving Israel’s Jewish-democratic character. Palestine
Government, Brotherhood fail to attract Egyptian youth Both the current Egyptian authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood have failed to attract the support of the youth, while women participated in the recent referendum to support stability. Egypt
Charges dropped against Iranian religious singer who shot at couple The case against a famous religious singer for shooting at a couple after a car accident has been dropped, raising questions about the perceived immunity of those who work closely with the government. Iran
New report links Lebanese army to economic stability A report by the Institute of International Finance says the Lebanese economy can be improved by a return to stability. Lebanon
The future of political Islam: lessons from Turkey, Egypt Islamist parties can either hold on to their rigid ideological base trying to mold their societies to fit within their singular vision, or accept their role as an influential force in a democratic pluralistic regime, within which the rule of law must guarantee the protection of rights for everyone, including Islamists. Egypt
Netanyahu readies alibi for collapse of peace talks The bickering between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and HaBayit HaYehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett is the warm-up for the main event, when the US-brokered peace talks collapse. Palestine
