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
Turkey declares vanishing truck to Syria 'state secret' Turkey’s government has used the "state secret" shield to conceal the cargo of a truck suspected of transporting arms to Syria and banished the prosecutor who attempted to search the vehicle. Syria
Residents of Umm al-Fahm affirm Arab-Israeli identity Residents of Umm al-Fahm say that, regardless of their affiliation with the Palestinian cause, they identify themselves as Israeli citizens and object to a land-swap plan that will annex them to a future Palestine, as Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman suggests. Palestine
Liberman’s land swap proposal shakes up peace talks Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman pulled out this week in perfect timing his 10-year-old plan for a land swap, which is both innovative and original and should give a boost to the stalemated peace talks. Palestine
Hamas, Egypt ties hit new low Hamas has accused Egypt's rulers of using the Palestinian group as a scapegoat to distract the Egyptian people from internal woes. Palestine
Erdogan under pressure as Syrian crisis spreads to Iraq Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has limited regional influence and few good options as the pressure builds to slow the spread of the Syria war. Syria
Syrian education a casualty of war Syria’s education sector has suffered a heavy blow from the fighting, as security concerns, internally displaced students and the emigration of professors abroad has led to a sharp drop in the level of education in the country. Syria
Yemen-Saudi love story highlights political tensions The recent story of a Yemeni man and a Saudi woman who fell in love and fled to Yemen highlights long-standing political and social tensions between their two neighboring states. Saudi Arabia
Russia's Syria policy linked to Chechnya, terrorism The United States and Russia cooperate to combat terrorism in Syria. Syria
More unmarried couples living together in Iran Younger Iranians are beginning to break old taboos by cohabitating without marriage. Turkey
Arab-Israeli city Umm al-Fahm figures in Liberman's land-swap plan Israel's foreign minister is pushing for attaching the town of Umm al-Fahm, synonymous in Israel with loyalty to the Palestinian cause, to the future Palestinian state. Palestine
Israel's new eastern front The value of Israel's alliance with Jordan is far greater than that of a battalion of Israeli soldiers in the Jordan Valley, the demand for which is threatening to derail Kerry’s initiative. Palestine
Saudi Arabia, France make their move in Lebanon Hezbollah reacts to Saudi Arabia providing $3 billion in aid to the Lebanese army to buy French weapons. Saudi Arabia
