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
Did Iran missiles carry message for Kurds? Iran's ballistic missile attack on US military targets in Iraq may have been a warning to the Kurds not to stand with the United States. Iraq
Has the time come for US-Iran negotiations? Iran's attack on a US military base in Iraq resulted in no casualties, possibly opening space for US-Iran negotiations. Iraq
Why Israel must end chief rabbi’s monopoly on Judaism The State of Israel must put a stop to the monopoly held by the Chief Rabbi on deciding who is Jewish, who can marry who and who can immigrate to the country. Israel
Ankara divides Syrian rebels on fighting in Libya Turkey’s plan to recruit mercenaries from Syria for the Libyan battlefield is gaining traction but appears to creating rifts among the Syrian opposition as fighters are lured to Libya by Turkish promises of money and more. Syria
Israel’s defense minister not focused on defense Defense Minister Naftali Bennett has made several controversial decisions that evidently serve his political agenda but not Israel’s security. Israel
Netanyahu suddenly facing effective opposition The possibility of lifting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's immunity after the Knesset was dissolved is exactly the sort of move that an effective opposition is expected to promote. Israel
Haniyeh’s visit signals Hamas seeks stronger Iranian alliance Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh's busy schedule when he visited Iran for the funeral of Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani indicates Hamas seeks to forge a deeper alliance with Iran and obtain additional support. Palestine
Nasrallah calls for regional action against US military The head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, called for expelling US troops from the region in response to the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, adding that US military assets will be targeted. Lebanon
Saudi-led attacks on civilians threaten fragile Yemen truce Escalation seems to be looming in Yemen in the wake of numerous artillery shellings of a local market, despite a supposed truce between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition. Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s warring parties conflicted over Soleimani’s killing Yemen’s warring parties had differing reactions to the killing of Qasem Soleimani, pointing to Yemen's deepening sectarian schism. Saudi Arabia
Palestinians hope Putin’s visit means bigger Russian role in peace process Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit the Palestinian territories, where he and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are expected to discuss trade ties, peace negotiations and the upcoming Palestinian elections. Palestine
What has Erdogan learned from Soleimani's killing? As tensions between Tehran and Washington escalate, Turkey has to make difficult choices. Turkey
