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
Israel’s Cynical Concern For Palestinian Workers Israel is claiming that boycotting settlement products harms the Palestinian economy, while the Israeli administration disregards Palestinian workers' rights. Palestine
Syrian Opposition Condemns Jihadists Targeting Alawites Syria's internal opposition has condemned attacks on Alawite civilians in Latakia. Lebanon
Hamas Downplays Israel's Prisoner Release Hamas fears that Fatah's ability to secure a prisoner release via negotiations may undermine its resistance-only approach to freeing Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Palestine
The Twisted Symbolism Of the Palestinian Prisoner Release While the Palestinians take pride in the release of prisoners, the Israeli government is taking pride in its decision to build houses. Palestine
Israeli Settlement Authorization Is Pre-Emptive Strike Israeli is striking a blow against the peace process by authorizing further settlement expansion. Palestine
Risks Increase to Cover Syria War Journalists covering Syria face increased number of abductions. Syria
Former Israeli Minister Blasts Palestinian Prisoners Release Former Labor Minister Moshe Shahal, who chaired the Prisoner Release Committee in the Rabin government, criticizes the decision to release prisoners instead of freezing the construction in the West Bank. Palestine
Egypt, Iran Top Dempsey's Agenda in Israel Visiting Israel again, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey will urge Israel not to attack Iran while his counterparts will press Washington to deepen their involvement in Egypt. Egypt
Erdogan Insists on Demanding Three Children Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked women to "donate" at least three children to the nation. Turkey
Iraqi Activists Seek to End Pensions for Parliament Post-retirement pensions for members of Iraq's Council of Representatives has provoked a heated debate among Iraqi civil activists. Iraq
Exclusive: Dahlan Family Visits Gaza Despite the animosity between former Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan and the Hamas leadership, his family was granted permission to visit the Gaza Strip. Palestine
