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
Gaza tensions threaten chances for minority Israeli government Most of the Arab-Israeli public supports toppling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at any cost, but the latest rockets from Gaza might complicate this mission. Israel
Netanyahu, Liberman locked in ultimate battle Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz an ultimatum: a unity government, or else he will join the one who agrees to his conditions. Israel
Israel's political turmoil leaves economic peace with Jordan on hold A stable Jordan may be a top Israeli national interest, but important joint economic projects between the two countries have been mired in bureaucratic red tape for a while. Palestine
Tunisia’s Ennahda faces critical choices as it seeks to form new government Ennahda is still grappling with how, and if, to form a parliamentary coalition in Tunisia. Tunisia
Religious authorities give Iraqi government new lifeline While key religious leader Ali al-Sistani wants parliament to establish a road map for change, Iraqi politicians are doing what they can to chip away at protesters' demands. Iraq
Can Trump, Erdogan pick up the pieces in Syria? Putin gains from the fallout in US-Turkey ties and the Kurds are still counting on US influence with Ankara. Syria
Tehran welcomes China’s presence in Middle East Iran and China have much to offer each other, though on a limited basis. Iran
Egypt's Sephardim explore Jewish roots in quest for Spanish citizenship Egypt's minuscule Jewish community has taken advantage of a chance to gain Spanish nationality, though will stay in Egypt if they get it. Egypt
Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring effectively divides Syria into five sectors The essential division of northeastern Syria into five sectors has created a highly combustible environment where one small spark is enough to start a massive fire. Syria
Turkey-Europe ties brace for fresh rift over stateless IS militants The fate of foreign Islamic State militants captured in Syria is looming as a big headache for Turkey as many of them are now stateless, expelled from the citizenship of European countries. Syria
Can Houthis bribe their way out of anti-corruption protests? The de facto Houthi government in Yemen has introduced the first phase of an anti-corruption drive that relies on citizen participation and has elicited criticism from opponents. Yemen
In Egypt, penalties proposed for those not wearing decent clothes in public places Egyptian activists denounce a new bill that would oblige citizens to wear decent clothes under pain of financial penalties and say the proposed law is extremely conservative and involves serious constitutional violations. Egypt
