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
Palestinians express despair over Israeli leadership Palestinians are hoping for a Yitzhak Rabin-style Israeli leadership from the security establishment that will distance itself from current settlement annexation policies. Palestine
Baghdad objects to European plans to forcibly repatriate Iraqis Many European countries are trying to send Iraqi refugees whose asylum cases have been rejected back to Iraq, while Baghdad refuses to cooperate with the forcible return of its citizens. Iraq
How Israel created a Palestinian heroine By arresting Ahed Tamimi for slapping an IDF soldier, Israel turned her into a symbol of Palestinian resistance to the occupation. Palestine
US military aid to Egypt under scrutiny on uprising’s anniversary The Donald Trump administration has taken a harder line on military assistance to Egypt as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi moves away from Washington. Egypt
Iran’s Interior Ministry outlines 3 reasons for recent protests Iran’s Interior Ministry has issued a report on both the makeup of the Iran protests and reasons for them. Iran
Icelandic musician discovers fan base in unlikely place Young Iranians welcome the rare opportunity to see a popular international musician perform live in their country. Iran
Yemen’s southern separatists take case to Congress Yemen’s UAE-backed secessionists have hired a US lobby firm to build support for their cause as they threaten to overthrow the UN-backed government in Aden. United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia uses aggression abroad to calm clerics at home Saudi Arabia's leaders have become more sectarian and anti-Iran than ever, much to the pleasure of the Wahhabi clerical establishment, which has remained quiet about sweeping social reforms. Saudi Arabia
Turkey says US account of Trump-Erdogan call not 'accurate' A telephone conversation between the Turkish and US leaders has turned into a "he said-he said" affair as the gulf widens between the NATO allies over Syria. Syria
4 factors affecting Turkey's new operation in Syria As Turkey’s offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria nears the end of its first week, circumstances affecting the scope, progress and duration of the operation are complicated and full of risks. Syria
Can Brad Pitt save Turkey’s tourism industry? Turkey is looking to Hollywood for support as its tourism industry struggles to rebound from terrorism, last year's coup and a decline in tourist spending. Turkey
New Iraqi Kurdish alliance emerges as most parties still divided As Iraq's parliamentary elections approach, the rise of a new tripartite Kurdish political alliance has highlighted the level of divide among the rest of the Kurdish parties hoping to contest the election. Iraq
