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
Turkish grocers pull peppers, eggplants after Erdogan warns of price 'treason' The Turkish leader is pressuring retailers to drop their prices to tame inflation, singling out grocers for high prices on some of the country’s staple foods. Turkey
China’s emerging role in Iran’s petroleum sector Despite the stumbling blocks, China’s strategic goal of securing energy resources for its future demands and Iran’s need for foreign investment will continue to pave the way for a greater Chinese role in the Iranian energy sector. Iran
Iran calls new European special payment mechanism ‘first step’ Iran called a new European initiative to establish a payment mechanism to facilitate trade a “first step” and hopes it will expand. Iran
Why Kurds seek talks with Assad regime In an interview with Al-Monitor, Aldar Khalil, a leading figure of the Movement for a Democratic Society, speaks of the general landscape in Syria and voices his opinion about the US withdrawal of forces and potential talks with the Assad regime. Syria
Tehran, Moscow differ on Syria, but share interests elsewhere Russia and Iran are cautious about labeling their relationship an alliance, but when they say it is a partnership, they mean it. Israel
Residents of Giza area forced into displacement The Egyptian government is expelling residents from their own homes in Giza and Cairo, as part of a campaign to develop and beautify areas. Egypt
Why is Fatah getting cozy with Hezbollah? A senior Fatah official recently met with Hezbollah officials in Beirut to discuss security and other developments in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. Palestine
Iraq's 2019 budget busts IMF deal The Iraqi parliament randomly amended the government's 2019 draft budget to include provisions that increase spending, a move that contravenes an agreement with the International Monetary Fund and that has led to threats of court challenges. Iraq
Netanyahu’s top rival, neither right nor left Flattering comments in Israel's liberal press do not mean that premiership candidate Benny Gantz espouses left-wing positions. Israel
Decoding Nasrallah’s messages on Lebanon and Syria In his latest interview, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah seemed to adopt a more measured tone toward Israel when compared with his previous speeches. Israel
For Hamas, reconciliation with Egypt worth more than Qatari cash Qatar financial aid is very important for Hamas, but good relations with neighboring Egypt are essential to its survival. Qatar
Gantz, peace and the West Bank landscape Seeking regional peace, as presidential candidate Benny Gantz has pledged to do, will require revisiting not only the separation barrier but other Israeli alterations to the West Bank landscape in efforts to prime it for annexation. Palestine
