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: What's behind Erdogan's latest threat of imminent attack in Syria Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the parliament yesterday that an operation against Syrian government forces in the rebel-held province of Idlib was “a matter of moments” after talks between Turkish officials and their Russian counterparts in Moscow failed to deliver “the desired result.” Syria
Turkish judges postpone verdict in Amnesty International case A Turkish court has postponed its final rulings in the infamous Buyukada trial until April as the defendants use lengthy closing statements to enter every piece of evidence of their innocence into the record. Turkey
Intel: Why Trump is calling a Democrat’s Iran meeting illegal President Donald Trump doubled down on his accusation today that Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., violated the law by meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the annual Munich Security Conference over the weekend. United States
Clashes in northern Syria drift from Idlib to Aleppo As the Idlib escalation winds down to a stalemate between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and Turkish troops, the clashes are shifting to Aleppo. Syria
Syrian crossings reopen, freeing up flow of people, goods The closed crossings that have separated Turkish-affiliated forces in Syria from those of the Kurds have reopened, allowing for trade and travel in those areas for the first time in months. Syria
Israel needs narrow government, not national unity A narrow government should not be the default plan of Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz, but a first choice and his best strategy for change. Israel
Netanyahu’s holy alliance with rightwing, ultra-Orthodox Israel's right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties have practically elevated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sainthood in light of his tireless efforts on their behalf, including the extremist Otzma Yehudit. Israel
After pulling every trick in the book, Netanyahu left with little Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just two weeks left to shift the public's attention away from the date set for his trial to other issues, such as the coronavirus. Israel
Palestinians in Iraq protesting to have their rights restored Displaced Palestinians in Iraq who live in very poor conditions have joined the protests in Baghdad, demanding their rights as refugees who have lived in the country for decades. Iraq
Palestinian-Israeli agriculture exchange hits a snag The normal exchange of agriculture and animal goods between Israel and Palestine has hit a snag, causing economic and social interruptions and possibly pushing Palestinians to become less dependent on Israel. Palestine
Contrary to expectations, Egypt rejects new IMF loan Many observers were surprised when Egypt announced recently it has turned down negotiations for a new loan from the International Monetary Fund. Originals
How will the PA face its declining popularity? It remains to be seen whether the attitudes of Palestinians on managing the conflict with Israel and the increased popular support for the armed struggle push Hamas to encourage military resistance. Palestine
