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
Netanyahu invokes Holocaust to sow fear, hate As Israel marks Holocaust Remembrance Day April 12, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is shamelessly exploiting the tragedy against whomever objects to his policies. Israel
Libyans divided over presidential bid by Gadhafi's son With the backing of the tribes and communities who supported his father, Saif al-Islam could be bringing back the old regime with his run for president. Libya
Turkey squeezed as US-Russia tensions rise in Syria Since the suspected chemical weapons attack by Syrian regime forces in Douma, Turkey has been producing conflicting messages, visibly torn between its strategic interests in Syria and ties to NATO and the West. Syria
Have Iran, Russia and Turkey reached agreement on future Syrian state? The second trilateral summit between the presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey appears to have ushered further movement toward an understanding on the political endgame in Syria. Syria
Iranian conservatives predict limited US strike on Syria Iranian conservatives believe that a limited US attack on Syria is likely. Syria
Drones could make Turkey-Greece clashes less risky, but more frequent Disputes between Greece and Turkey over Aegean airspace go back decades, but drones could change the face of their encounters drastically. Turkey
Israel's reluctance to embrace lessons of the Holocaust Against the backdrop of Holocaust Memorial Day, Israelis are debating whether the state should act to defend Syrian citizens from chemical attacks and how it has responded in the past toward genocides and ethnic cleansing. Israel
Palestinian journalist’s killing spurs international condemnation The killing of Palestinian journalist Yasser Murtaja by Israeli soldiers has been widely condemned by Israeli and international press institutions and underscores Israel's refusal to recognize the legitimacy of Palestinian journalists as professionals. Palestine
Iraqi police who fought for tribal PMUs won't return to force Local Iraqi police officers who joined the Popular Mobilization Units to fight the Islamic State seem to have no intention of returning to their old jobs. Iraq
Why viral IDF shooting video should surprise no one With senior Israeli officials encouraging the dehumanization of Palestinians, it's little wonder to see soldiers rejoicing over the shooting of an unarmed demonstrator. Palestine
Israel ‘alone in fight’ against Iran in Syria Although Netanyahu failed to convince Trump to back down on his decision to withdraw US forces from Syria, it won’t change Israel’s policy on Syria. Israel
