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
Israelis deserve to know the truth about submarine scandal A public watchdog has petitioned the Supreme Court in an effort to determine whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was directly or indirectly complicit in causing grave damage to state security in a controversial submarine acquisition from Germany. Israel
Trump signals possible flexibility on pace of Syria withdrawal President Donald Trump signaled possible flexibility in the pace of a US withdrawal from Syria, saying the United States would protect the Kurds. Syria
Lawsuit over Washington violence looms over US-Turkey relations Kurdish protesters who were pummeled by President Erdogan’s security detail last year are seeking millions in damages in US federal court. Turkey
US-led coalition scrambles to realign Islamic State mission following Syria exit The global coalition is turning its attention to Iraq to avoid a resurgence of the Islamic State. Iraq
Why Iraq's president can expect warm welcome in Turkey Turkey is preparing to host new Iraqi President Barham Salih, who Ankara clearly sees as useful despite his Kurdish political background. Iraq
Former hard-line presidential candidate could become Iran's judiciary chief The appointment of Sadegh Amoli Larijani as chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council has fueled speculation that conservative former presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi is poised to succeed him as judiciary chief. Iran
Meet Iran's first ever Sunni female ambassador The Iranian government has appointed its first ever female Sunni ambassador, reviving hopes for greater senior political representation among the marginalized religious minority. Iran
Khashoggi’s murder three months on: new clues, new dynamics? Unresolved questions linger in the murder of The Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, but authorities are hoping chilling new footage might provide clues. Saudi Arabia
Will Palestinians get caught in Israeli election cross fire? Palestinians will be closely following the run-up to Israeli elections in April, as many are already debating the possibility of a politically motivated attack on Gaza to drum up right-wing votes. Palestine
Head of Sinai Reconstruction Authority speaks about development in Sinai Will the military operations by the Egyptian army and police force affect development plans in the Sinai Peninsula, and can Egypt move ahead with the development plans in tandem with military operations? Egypt
Israeli attorney general wrestles with indictment timing Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is grasping for advice on how his decision on indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could affect the early elections in April. Israel
