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
US official speaks out against possible Turkish offensive in Syria After Iraqi Kurdistan-backed Rojava Peshmerga are sent to the Turkish-Syrian border, Turkish officials inveigh against the action and what it represents. Iraq
How Palestinians are working to stop Australia embassy move Palestinians are deploying efforts to prevent Australia from following in the steps of US President Donald Trump in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Palestine
Iran faces budget deficit, but no shortage of means to cover it Having stabilized the Iranian rial in recent weeks, the Rouhani administration is poised to fill its projected budget deficit by reducing the flow of money going to the National Development Fund while pushing the official and open market rates closer to each other. Iran
Hard-liners attack Rouhani over outreach to Europe on JCPOA Iranian hard-liners show no sign of compromise with moderate President Hassan Rouhani, reigniting their attacks on him for his push to maintain the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Iran
FSA sends troops for Turkey's planned Syria operation Free Syrian Army factions have already started to send fighters to the Syrian-Turkish border in support of Turkey's expected operation against Syrian Kurdish forces there. Syria
US genocide law triggers mixed feelings among Iraqis US President Donald Trump has signed legislation calling for greater support for religious minorities victimized by the Islamic State. Iraq
Tunisian activists ready to walk the walk A group of young Tunisian civil society activists established the Red Vest campaign in protest against the worsening economic and social situation in Tunisia. Tunisia
What triggered Hamas' attacks on the West Bank? Hamas has claimed responsibility for recent deadly attacks on the West Bank, raising tensions and expectations of more to come. Palestine
Netanyahu's own ministers dare him to fire them Nine of the Israeli prime minister's cabinet members took part in a demonstration this week against the government’s policy, knowing full well that Benjamin Netanyahu cannot afford to unseat them. Israel
Does Jordan have what it takes to reconcile Libya’s rival parties? After coinciding visits by Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and the military commander Khalifa Hifter to Amman, Jordan’s possible role in sponsoring Libyan reconciliation talks has come under the spotlight. Jordan
