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
Knesset hears data on Israel’s Arab-Jewish health gap A first-of-its-kind debate in the Knesset finally addressed long years of neglect of the Arab population's health by the Israeli authorities, but there's no reason to believe much will change. Israel
Southern Sinai Peninsula seeks return of tourism Tourism in Egypt's South Sinai governorate was dealt a blow after authorities banned the use of SUVs and closed off many mountain trails throughout the peninsula because of security concerns. Egypt
Tehran's newest cafe offers glimmer of hope for disabled Iranians Unemployment and isolation are some of the biggest problems facing Iran's disabled population, and a cafe run by a staff with autism and Down syndrome is just what its employees needed. Iran
Pentagon eyes shrinking role in Syria as Trump and Putin negotiate deal Syrian rebels have presented the White House with military options to push back against Bashar al-Assad’s gains in the southwest, Al-Monitor has learned. Syria
The art of the deal in Helsinki A win-win on Syria is there for the taking by leveraging Putin’s relationship with Iran. Israel
Mideast risks escalation as Iran ponders response to US Rather than looking for a graceful exit from the region, Iran could escalate tensions in response to rising US pressure. United States
Khamenei adviser warns Moscow of 'empty promises' from US Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sent his top adviser to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the Russian leader's meeting with Trump, in hopes that Moscow will remain wary of US promises. Syria
Is Israel's popular justice minister a threat to Netanyahu? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surely took note of the latest polls indicating Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of HaBayit HaYehudi has become extremely popular within his own Likud Party. Israel
IS remains a threat in Iraqi desert, tribal villages Popular Mobilization Units are conducting regular patrols in the Iraqi desert to prevent activity by Islamic State sleeper cells. Iraq
Oil installations hit by protests in southern Iraq The wave of protests in the southern province of Basra is escalating, even as the government promises to improve the status of the province in order to calm the street. Iraq
Islamic Jihad says Israel’s tightened siege ‘a declaration of war’ Palestinian factions are condemning the recent Israeli decision to impose more sanctions on Gaza in retaliation against the launch of fire kites into southern Israel. Palestine
Fatah seeks to rekindle ties with Syrian regime Rival Palestinian parties Fatah and Hamas are both making overtures to Syria, but one appears to be having considerably more success than the other. Palestine
