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
Pentagon sends team to scout Syria safe zone A US delegation is in Turkey to coordinate on a safe zone in Syria, but despite the seeming progress, there is no indication of agreement on its size and other details. Syria
Hamas takes war game to West Bank Israel accuses Hamas of being behind the killing of an Israeli soldier in the West Bank after having thwarted an apparent Hamas attempt to carry out a bombing attack in Jerusalem. Palestine
West Bank attack deals heavy blow to Israel The stabbing of an off-duty Israeli soldier at a West Bank settlement stuns the nation; the Hebrew-language media points fingers at Hamas. Palestine
Israel’s Liberman, Lapid battle over secular vote A court ruling banning separate seating for men and women at a concert for the ultra-Orthodox in Afula highlighted the differences between Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman and Blue and White senior Yair Lapid in their fight over the secular vote. Israel
What does US-Turkey military deal really entail? Turkish incursion into Syria thwarted: Washington said “no” and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan bowed. Syria
Likud supporters unlikely to back any other party Recent surveys show that whatever efforts made by the right-wing and left-wing parties, Israeli voters are expected to support their initial political bloc. Israel
Rogue militants defy Hamas’ policy of restraint The thwarted terror attacks of recent days indicate that Hamas' leadership is losing control over some of its operatives. Palestine
Two more elected HDP officials suspended in Turkey Two elected officials were suspended over the weekend as pressure continues on the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party in Turkey. Turkey
Intel: Why military confrontation between Turkey, Kurds in Syria might be good news for Russia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s repeated threats to attack Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria depend on Ankara’s ability to meet certain conditions if they’re to become reality. Syria
Zarif says foreign ships making Gulf 'less safe' Iranian officials continue to push back against the naval presence of the United States and United Kingdom in the Persian Gulf. United States
Why this traditional instrument is back on Tunisia's music charts A wave of nostalgia has hit Tunisian clubs after the success of a 1990s-themed Ramadan TV series inspired by traditional mezoued music. Tunisia
Riyadh faces new setback in south Yemen The loss of Aden is the latest in a long stream of strategic blunders in Yemen by the Saudi leadership. Saudi Arabia
