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
Iraqi blocs, outsiders vie to influence Basra governorship It took Iraqis months to select a prime minister, and now a similar battle has arisen over the governor's office in embattled Basra. Iraq
Israeli politicians cower before Jewish terror The political outcry over settler youths arrested for causing the death of a Palestinian woman reflects the Israeli leadership's fear of the settlers’ political power. Palestine
Zionist Camp split reveals ethnic divide among Israeli left The dissolution of the Zionist Camp is about much more than a rift between Labor head Avi Gabbay and Hatnua leader Tzipi Livni; it shows that the long years of bitterness between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews are far from over. Israel
The Palestinians' new third-party option Leftist Palestinian political factions have joined forces with civil society groups to form a third stream in Palestinian politics as an alternative to the Fatah-Hamas duopoly. Palestine
Can US Syria policy keep up with Trump? The US president will need assistance from Vladimir Putin, Mohammed bin Salman and even Bashar al-Assad to close the deal with Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Syria. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia gets US missile defense boost despite Khashoggi uproar The State Department has approved a $195 million sale to upgrade Saudi Arabia’s missile defenses. Saudi Arabia
House Democrats slash aid to Egypt Congress is poised the drastically slash Egyptian military aid for the first time as Democrats assume control of the House. Egypt
Pompeo heads to Mideast to stress 'US not going anywhere' Despite President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will stress US commitment to the region and an anti-Iran theme on trip to Jordan, Egypt and Gulf states. Legacy: Gulf
Russia eyes options for northern Syria As the United States plans to withdraw from Syria, Russia considers all options available to settle conflict east of the Euphrates. Syria
Why Iranian teachers are protesting Iranian teachers are raising their voices to demand better conditions both for themselves and their students, and the struggle is moving forward with both protests and engagement with the authorities. United States
Istanbul, the flashpoint of Turkey’s crisis and looming elections Turkey’s commercial capital, Istanbul, is in the grips of economic turmoil, which raises the prospect of the city’s local administration changing hands after more than two decades of dominance by political Islam. Turkey
