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
Iran's low-key reaction to bugging of supreme leader Iran's response to reports that the US National Security Agency bugged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a trip to the Kurdistan region of Iran in 2009 has been relatively muted and has not affected Iran's position on negotiations with the P5+1. Iran
The cost of Netanyahu's campaign against an Iran deal Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to an Iranian nuclear deal has a cost in US-Israel relations. Israel
The Russian key to Hamas The appointment of the first spokeswoman might ameliorate the image of Hamas in the West, but the key to its rehabilitation lies actually with Russia. Palestine
7 reasons Iran nuclear deal a win-win for all parties Yukiya Amano, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, signed a new agreement today with Iran addressing outstanding technical concerns about its nuclear program. Iran
Netanyahu could lose his Iran card If Tehran and the world powers enter into a long-term diplomatic process that slows down Iran’s nuclear program, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be left without the one major issue that topped his agenda for the past few years. Israel
Iraqi security services infiltrated by terrorists Extremist militias are acquiring official security and military uniforms and equipment which allow them to further compromise the country’s already unstable security situation. Iraq
Palestinian youths lack role model Many young Palestinians are frustrated with the suffocation of democracy by the two main political parties and by their exclusion from the political scene. Palestine
Internal disagreements could lead to al-Qaeda split Recent disagreements between al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi could lead to major splits within the organization. Iraq
Will US cave to Netanyahu again? US Secretary of State John Kerry's blunt words for Israel shows he is withstanding pressure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but for how much longer? Palestine
Islamic militia expels criminal gangs from Aleppo The al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams has won the praise of Aleppans after expelling criminal gangs that have looted and ravaged the city. Syria
Iran nuclear deal key to political solution in Syria Despite significant progress in the Geneva nuclear talks over the weekend, time may be short, given the opposition of Israel and some in Congress, with implications for Syria. Iran
Rouhani, Zarif on the clock to get nuclear deal A divided P5+1 is both a boon and a challenge for Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Iran
