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 tries to reassure Kurdish allies amid Syria pullout confusion With the Islamic State down to its last few miles in Syria, the Pentagon hopes to get the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to assist with the American withdrawal. Syria
Cairo keeps itself front and center in Syria negotiations Egypt seems to be in demand as a negotiator between the Syrian regime and opposition forces, as the new UN envoy to Syria says he wants Cairo involved. Egypt
For Iran, the latest Sochi summit was not just about Syria Iran used the recent summit in Sochi with Russia and Turkey not merely to signal a willingness to expand its diplomatic role in Syria, but also to maneuver on other issues. Syria
Iran threatened by Russia-Saudi oil pact Oil dealings between Moscow and Riyadh raise suspicions in Tehran, but Iran may soon learn they have a silver lining. Saudi Arabia
IS targets truffle hunters across Sunni regions Many civilians and local security forces have been kidnapped or killed in recent weeks while looking for white truffles, mostly in desert and mountainous areas of Sunni-dominant provinces. Iraq
Hamas takes control of second Gaza Strip border crossing Palestinian Authority employees claim Hamas forced them to turn over supervision of the Kerem Shalom crossing in Gaza, but Hamas says the workers left because they didn't want to comply with security inspections Hamas imposed. Palestine
Israeli Arabs engaging in electoral campaign The merger of the Hadash and Ta’al parties reflects growing willingness within the Israeli Arab population to become a meaningful part of Israel’s society and electoral map. Palestine
Israeli diplomats cheer European debate on anti-Zionism On the backdrop of rising violence against Jews in Europe, Israeli envoys are relieved to hear Europeans argue about whether anti-Zionism is a form of anti-Semitism. Israel
Netanyahu rivals bet everything on Blue and White The brand-new alliance between Israel Resilience head Benny Gantz and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid has shaken up Israeli politics just ahead of the April elections. Israel
Gazans reluctant to import from Egypt despite Hamas’ encouragement Although Hamas reduced fees imposed on goods entering the Gaza Strip, it seems local traders are hesitant to import from Egypt, which imposes high fees on traded products. Palestine
Could new Israeli party topple Netanyahu’s Likud? For the first time in years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is confronted with polls that place his Likud party second and not first. Israel
