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
Lebanon’s vaccination campaign stumbles at launch As politicians skip the line to receive their coronavirus vaccine, questions arise about the quantity of vaccine doses Lebanon has and will receive and if it’s enough to inoculate the local and refugee population. Lebanon
Rise of Turkish lira is not felt by citizens in Syria’s Idlib Civilians in the areas controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in northwest Syria are reeling under exorbitant prices of goods and the lack of a strict supply control, while the Turkish lira, which is in circulation in those areas, rises against the US dollar. Syria
US generals head to Tunisia ahead of major military exercise The Pentagon aims to bolster partnerships in North Africa with the African Lion exercise this summer. Tunisia
Intel: Blinken tells Egypt that human rights are 'central' to US relationship Secretary of State Antony Blinken also expressed concern over Egypt’s planned procurement of Su-35 fighter aircraft from Russia. Egypt
Netanyahu’s friendship with Putin benefits Israel, but has limits Moscow played a central role in the release of the Israeli woman who crossed the border into Syria, but might prove less helpful on Iranian entrenchment in Syria or the Palestinian issue. Israel
RAND report advocates development over defense in the Middle East The report said US policy is outdated and has not led to security in the region. Originals
Kataib Hezbollah denies role in recent Iraq rocket attacks The high-profile, Iran-backed militia denied responsibility for attacks on US targets in Iraq. Iraq
Iran border town rattled as security forces kill fuel traders The Iranian city of Saravan is reeling after security forces shot several unemployed locals who earn a living by trading untaxed fuel across the Pakistani border. Originals
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party under pressure as calls increase for its closure The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party faces renewed pressure in Turkey amid rising calls for its closure and recent court decisions that could see one of its lawmakers removed from parliament. Turkey
Biden's UN ambassador nominee confirmed by Senate Linda Thomas-Greenfield was easily confirmed, despite Republican opposition to her views on Iran and China. Originals
West-East dilemma closes in on Erdogan As Erdogan teeters between the West and the Russia-China axis, it will be his goal of securing his political future at home that determines which direction he takes. Turkey
Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta pushes birth control to stem overpopulation Egypt’s top fatwa authority, Dar al-Ifta, launched on Feb. 17 a hashtag to promote birth control and family planning methods to give a boost to government efforts to control the rapid population growth by providing a religious cover. Egypt
