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
Suspected Iranian strikes raise US concerns over Chinese missile proliferation The Donald Trump administration is concerned that US adversaries such as China are abetting Iran’s growing missile arsenal, which US officials believe was used in strikes against Saudi oil facilities over the weekend. Saudi Arabia
What the latest Astana summit tells us about Iran’s position on Syria Russia, Iran and Turkey continue to negotiate a settlement to the Syrian war that works to their advantage. Syria
US questions Iran’s assent to non-proliferation pact amid inspections Washington is challenging Tehran's commitment to global non-proliferation agreements, citing traces of uranium found at an Iranian site. United States
Iran's supreme leader says no talks with US 'at any level' Iran's supreme leader has dismissed talks with the United States, saying Washington is bound to proving the success of its "maximum pressure" policy by pushing Tehran to the negotiating table. Saudi Arabia
Intel: What’s behind Putin’s arms sale proposal to Saudis Putin's offer of defense missile systems for the Saudis was political but there's more to this in the runup to his visit to Riyadh. Saudi Arabia
Netanyahu's bullying gets out Arab vote Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's camera bill and other efforts to deter Arab voters backfired, leading them to vote in defiance of his intimidation. Israel
Don't read too much into Turkey's gag order reversal, warn free press advocates Turkey’s highest court has struck down a reporting ban surrounding a 2013 corruption probe, but some human rights defenders warn the win for press freedom may prove minor. Turkey
Iraqi journalists blacklist politicians who attack them Some Iraq journalists are forming a list that includes all officials who attack them to prepare the ground for legal action against them. Iraq
Can Egypt impose truce between Hamas, Israel? An Egyptian delegation visited the Gaza Strip to stabilize the truce between Hamas and the Israeli government in light of recent tensions. Palestine
Is crisis looming within Egypt's oldest political party? Is the Wafd Party's decision to sack former party leader Al-Sayyid al-Badawi Shehata orchestrated by the regime of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi? Egypt
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham loses third leader in Syria this year Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a coalition of Islamist groups fighting against regime forces in Idlib, Syria, is facing dissent within its ranks and accusations of corruption by one of its own leaders. Syria
Israel’s center-left must restore concept of truth Even if Blue and White leader Benny Gantz manages to establish a governing coalition, he has a long way to go toward conquering the hearts of a divided Israeli public. Israel
