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
Syrians in Egypt fear new restrictions signal worse to come Many Egyptians believe their government and its supporters are behind the latest xenophobic campaign targeting Syrian refugees in the country, including attacks on their businesses. Egypt
Israel zeroes in on Iran’s Soleimani Recent Israeli attacks in Syria and Lebanon sent a clear message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: Syria won’t be reconstructed as long as it harbors Iranian proxies. Iraq
US influence on the line if Israel has 'free hand' to bomb Iraq Israeli attacks in Iraq signal need for some red lines with Iran. Iraq
Why Iran has been quiet when it comes to Syria's Idlib, safe zone Iran has been careful not to antagonize Turkey while also opposing US-Turkish agreements on Syria. Syria
Cairo, Khartoum seem to be moving in same circles Egypt has played a significant role to resolve the Sudanese crisis, as Cairo and Khartoum agree on various regional issues. Egypt
New Iranian hard-line group seeks to expel parliament speaker from their camp Iranian hard-liners say parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has become soft on conservative issues and seek to remove him from their grouping for good. Iran
Qatar's agriculture push risks further groundwater depletion Groundwater depletion is raising environmental concerns over the long-term sustainability of Qatar’s ambitious self-sufficiency policy. Saudi Arabia
Abbas starts austerity measures by sacking his advisers Several reasons pushed President Mahmoud Abbas to suddenly end the services of his advisers, most notably his intention to downsize the number of his many advisers amid the crippling financial crisis hitting the PA. Palestine
Abbas Combat Division, an example of Iran-independent faction The Al-Abbas Combat Division, which is part of the Popular Mobilization Units, has no link with Iran and has a long history of cooperation with the Iraqi army and the US-led coalition against Islamic State. Saudi Arabia
Aden standoff puts Hadi's legitimacy at stake The seizure of Aden by Yemeni separatists threatens to fracture the Saudi-led coalition. Saudi Arabia
Are Libyan Turks Ankara’s Trojan horse? The descendants of Ottoman Turks represent an important foothold for Turkey in Libya, but the community is dispersed in various political and military camps, with some even resentful toward Ankara. Turkey
Is Middle East's young labor boom blessing or curse? By 2040, the Middle East and North Africa will see a sharp increase in young people who enter the labor force, which could lead to disaster if areas like education aren’t improved. Lebanon
