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
Has Sadr lost the Iraqi street? Iraqi populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, after playing to the hopes and grievances of everyday Iraqis, may be losing some of his following as he plays for advantage among Iraq's political factions. Iraq
Syrian army makes gains in Idlib, opposition blames Turkey Syrian opposition groups wonder what value the Turkish observation posts and the Turkish army have in Idlib, as the Syrian regime forces make great advances in the area. Syria
Has Egypt succeeded in calming situation on Gaza border? An Egyptian intelligence delegation visited the Gaza Strip for the first time in months in a bid to restore calm between Hamas and Israel amid renewed escalation ahead of the Israeli elections. Palestine
Dar al-Ifta joins in Egypt-Turkey culture war Amid heightened tensions between Cairo and Ankara, culture is emerging as the new battlefront as each party offers its own version of the Ottoman era. Saudi Arabia
Is Turkey planning to curb radicals in Idlib under strategy shift? In a scenario that invokes its Afrin operation in 2018, Ankara speaks of reining in radical groups and asserting field control in Idlib, hoping that Moscow will give it a nod to avoid war. Syria
With election rivals barred, Iran’s hard-liners resort to infighting Less than a week to Iran’s parliamentary elections, the country’s hard-liners have yet to reach consensus before finalizing a list of endorsed candidates. Iran
Turkish MPs make Washington charm offensive as Ankara-Moscow ties strain A Turkish delegation arrives in Washington to find a way forward for US-Turkish relations. Turkey
Egypt shows diplomatic finesse forging Gaza cease-fire Hamas' agreement to refrain from attacks, for now, puts Gaza on the back burner for Israeli elections. Palestine
Iraq celebrates Valentine's Day with red balloons, slogans Baghdad turned red on Valentine's Day with celebrations of love, defying Muqtada al-Sadr’s call to separate men and women in the rallies. Iraq
Iraqi prime minister-designate faces pressure on Cabinet choices Political pressure on the prime minister-designate, Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, could bring him down before he even forms a government. Iraq
Iraqi protests blush pink as feminists flood streets As hardline clerics rail against women attending the nationwide protests in Iraq, feminists held rallies in Baghdad, Nasiriyah and other cities in support of women's participation as well as the ongoing protest movement. Iraq
