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
Intel: Washington eyes Lebanon sanctions over jailed US citizen Lebanon is finding itself staring down the prospect of US sanctions after jailing an American citizen for six months. Lebanon
Intel: Coronavirus fears soar in Israel a week ahead of elections Exactly one week before upcoming legislative elections set for March 2, there are fears in Israel that the coronavirus scare could disrupt voting. Israel
Iran says Qom 'almost stable' after coronavirus outbreak Iran’s Health Ministry has assured the public it is addressing the corona outbreak that has killed at least 12 in the country. Iran
Turkey's re-arrest of philanthropist signals alarm in Europe Osman Kavala was re-arrested after his acquittal despite the European Court of Human Rights' call for Turkey to immediately release the philanthropist. Turkey
Netanyahu’s defense minister gets him into trouble Another haphazard decision by Defense Minister Naftali Bennett reshuffled the deck for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and led to an escalation of tensions in the south. Palestine
Ultra-Orthodox shifting stance on children learning math, English Ultra-Orthodox Knesset member Moshe Gafni surprised everyone recently by announcing that ultra-Orthodox schools will be established where mathematics and English will be taught. Israel
Blue and White stumbles as Israeli race nears finish In an interview with Al-Monitor a week before the election, Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz admits he is disturbed by shifting trends in the polls and rejects any chance of partnering with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel
Tunisia's long road to a new government There are concerns that political bickering between Tunisia’s main parties will obstruct parliament’s vote of confidence on the government of Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh. Tunisia
Tunisian art becomes matter of taste Two Tunisian chefs are marrying art with gastronomy in a fresh look at the country's culinary and artistic heritage. Tunisia
Can Ankara’s sudden change of heart on NATO save the day in Idlib? Ankara’s abrupt U-turn to reembrace NATO appears driven by conjunctural necessity to balance Russia in Idlib and Libya rather than a new realization of structural dependency between Turkey and NATO. Syria
Idlib exposes Erdogan's untenable policies Turkey’s predicament in Idlib has laid bare its weaknesses and the longstanding inconsistencies in its foreign and security policy as never before, boding adverse repercussions for the government, both at home and abroad. Syria
How Hamas’ observation units operate on Gaza border Israel has recently revealed details about Hamas’ observation posts erected along the Gaza border to monitor Israeli movements. Palestine
