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
Saudi, Syrian foreign ministers visit Moscow for talks After separate sets of discussions with the Syrian and Saudi foreign ministers, Russia continues to dwell on its displeasure with US moves in Syria. Saudi Arabia
Foreign IS fighters face justice in Baghdad criminal court The Iraqi Central Criminal Court in Baghdad began trying foreign fighters who joined the Islamic State and were captured in the war to liberate Iraqi territory from IS. Iraq
Idlib museum throws open doors in defiance of threats The Idlib museum, whose collections rival those in Aleppo and Damascus, reopened last month, despite having lost an unknown number of its treasures to looters. Syria
When will Jordan-Syria border crossing reopen? Since the Syrian regime has taken control of southern Syria, including the Nassib border crossing, hopes to resume trade and boost the economy between Jordan and Syria have been revived. Jordan
The reasons behind Abbas' all-or-nothing Gaza policy By refusing to reconcile with Hamas, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is blocking an Israel-Hamas agreement that would rock Palestine during a delicate transition in leadership. Palestine
Abbas warns Hamas against potential pact with Israel In the West Bank, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas is threatening to impose punitive measures on the Gaza Strip if Hamas signs a truce agreement with Israel. Palestine
Palestinians get ton of mail after eight-year delay Palestine's post offices are swimming in mail that Israel finally released after eight years. Palestine
Israel’s ‘Mizrahi revolution’ enters a new stage Education Minister Naftali Bennett is acting to include works by Mizrahi figures in literature and poetry in the school curriculum. Israel
Iraqi Jews organize to regain citizenship Some Iraqi Jews are organizing to officially petition the Baghdad government for the right to reclaim their Iraqi citizenship. Iraq
Are Russia, US back to square one on Syria? Days before the Syrian foreign minister's visit to Moscow, Russia's ambassador to the United States met with US officials to discuss concerns over a possible US retaliatory attack on Syria. The meetings come amid Syrian preparations to retake Idlib and an increase in the Russian and US naval military presence in the Mediterranean. Syria
Why Iran must legislate away rampant corruption To successfully tackle corruption, Iranian authorities should address the environment that enables graft and nepotism instead of merely detaining those who engage in such practices. Iran
Pentagon adjusts war games to cope with Iran threat The US military is making changes to its Middle East drills to respond to the Donald Trump administration’s fears of a growing military threat from Iran. Congress
