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
The national-religious Knesset list: a strange mix The top 10 spots of the Yamina list include Ministers Rafi Peretz and Bezalel Smotrich, whose public statements show that they are not the example of enlightenment, as well as liberal religious women and the secular Ayelet Shaked. Israel
Islamic Jihad undermines shaky Gaza cease-fire with rocket barrage Israel, Egypt holding Hamas accountable for all attacks from Gaza; the wisdom of Sultan Qaboos. Oman
Pentagon receives late notice of US injuries in Iranian strike Eleven US troops have received treatment for possible traumatic brain injuries stemming from an Iranian missile attack on a US base in Iraq. United States
What stops return of Syrians in Turkey to area held by Turkish forces? What stops Syrians in Turkey from returning to the liberated Ras al-Ain? Syria
Despite US efforts, Ethiopia-Egypt dam spat holds strong A meeting in Washington produced agreement on some items to be included in a final accord to fill and operate the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, but failed to resolve significant, long-standing sticking points between Egypt and Ethiopia. Egypt
Khamenei delivers Friday sermon after 8-year absence Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered the Friday sermon for the first time in eight years to address the important events in Iran over the last two weeks. United States
From Russia with love: Turkish and Syrian spymasters meet in Moscow The Moscow meeting between the Turkish and Syrian intelligence chiefs could suggest that a normalization process has finally kicked off between Ankara and Damascus. Syria
Tunisia gets ready for refugee influx from neighboring Libya Tunisia is preparing to receive a large influx of refugees in the event of escalation in neighboring Libya. Libya
Last Ottoman viceroy casts shadow on current Turco-Egyptian culture war After the success of the series "Kingdoms of Fire,” Egyptian cinematographers may have found the next controversial figure that can be used to counter Turkey’s interpretation of Ottoman history on screen: Muhammad Ali Pasha. Saudi Arabia
What's in store for Iraq's PMU after death of top commander? The Popular Mobilization Units will face fragmentation and division after the assassination of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was the backbone of the Iran-backed organization. Iraq
Syrian opposition lambastes Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Amid little hope left for the recently observed Idlib cease-fire, opposition activists said the latest speech delivered by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani cannot be built upon during the upcoming confrontations. Syria
Congress pushes Trump to sanction Egypt over jailed US citizen’s death Congress is pushing President Donald Trump to sanction Egyptian officials after Mustafa Kassem, a US citizen, died after six years in prison. Egypt
