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
Ending Iraq's demonstrations won't solve Sunni crisis The Sunni demonstrations may not last much longer, but their end will not mean that Iraq’s sectarian problems have been addressed. Iraq
Issawi’s release places individual hunger strikes in spotlight Samer Issawi's release set off exuberant celebrations in the streets, but more importantly has refocused the spotlight on his fellow hunger strikers in prison. Palestine
Peace, not Pollard, is the issue Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempt of pulling Jonathan Pollard into the US diplomatic efforts in the peace process testifies to Israel seeking to serve its own interests rather than a peace deal with the Palestinians. Israel
Dayan: 'Kerry causes damage by insisting on a solution now' While some in the Israeli right looked for an alternative to the two-state solution, former Yesha head Dani Dayan prefers the status quo since ''there is no solution to the conflict at the moment.'' Palestine
Obama should see peace process through History suggests that only a resolved American president, such as former Presidents Jimmy Carter or George Bush, Sr., can persuade the Israelis to come to an agreement with the Palestinians. Palestine
Syrian Kurds agree to disagree Despite agreeing to speak with a single Kurdish voice at Geneva II, Syria's Kurds are far from united on how to administer the Kurdish areas in the future. Syria
Egypt's government fails to end civil strife, terrorism The Egyptian government’s recent decision to list the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization is meant to draw attention away from criticism directed at the government and will not help address Egypt’s primary challenges. Egypt
Iraq fails to attract domestic capital Due to the deteriorating security situation as well as underdeveloped financial and banking apparatuses, Iraqi capital has been migrating outside the country. Iraq
Will Iran, Hamas resume relations? Following a split between Iran and Hamas over a number of regional issues, most prominently the Syrian conflict, the two sides have once again restored relations, according to sources in Hamas. Palestine
Talks with Palestinians return to Israel's public discourse Pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from opponents within and outside his coalition has grown in sync with advances in talks with the Palestinians. Palestine
Yemeni tribal checkpoints take travelers off guard In the past two years, checkpoints set up by gangs and tribes have become widespread in Yemen. Yemen
Storm recovery could bring Abbas to Gaza The recent devastating storm could prompt a visit by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to the Gaza Strip and potentially expedite Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Palestine
