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
Why Massoud Barzani returned to Baghdad After a long breakup, KDP leader Massoud Barzani returned to Baghdad to strengthen Kurdistan's position in the capital. Iraq
Syria seeks to integrate myriad paramilitaries The Syrian government faces a "what now?" dilemma as it struggles to deal with all the militant groups it recruited to fight for the regime, along with rebels who have surrendered. Syria
Official handshakes, angry crowds greet Saudi crown prince in Tunis Tunisian protesters say hosting the Saudi crown prince, who is accused of ordering journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder last month, is the wrong move for a country striving to promote democratic gains and ensure human rights. Saudi Arabia
Egypt proves itself a reliable mediator to Palestinians Maj. Gen. Ahmed Abdel Khalek, the Egyptian intelligence officer in charge of Cairo's Palestinian portfolio, made an unprecedented appearance to pay respects to the families of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigade fighters killed in clashes with Israel. Palestine
Will amending NGO law appease civil society in Egypt? After ratifying the controversial NGO law, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi recently ordered the formation of a committee to amend it, following the international criticism he is under for repressing freedoms. Egypt
New school raises hopes of higher education for West Bank's hearing-impaired Al Amal Association for the Deaf is set to open the first high school for the deaf in the West Bank by spring 2019, which would give hearing-impaired students the chance to continue their education. Palestine
Netanyahu plays high-stakes game with defense portfolio Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enjoys his role of defense minister, though he must worry that if any security crisis emerges, he will be perceived as solely responsible. Israel
Netanyahu’s diplomacy: buying friends by selling weapons Rather than basing its global standing on the principles of equality and justice, Israel exports cyber weaponry to tyrannical, racist rulers. Saudi Arabia
Turkey irate over US obstructions in Syria Ankara's frustration with the United States continues to grow as Washington takes yet another step that Turkish officials believe was designed to hamper them from unleashing the Turkish military against the Kurdish People's Protection Units in Syria along Turkey's border. Syria
Congress clears key hurdle in ending support for war in Yemen In an unprecedented move, the Senate has cleared a key procedural hurdle that paves the way to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition’s intervention in Yemen. Saudi Arabia
Pompeo-Mattis briefing on Yemen to Senate bombs Secretaries of State and Defense, Mike Pompeo and Jim Mattis, urged senators to stay the course on US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, but senators said they were inclined to vote for legislation to curtail US support. Saudi Arabia
