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
Turkey’s aspiring young artists seek base of their own Graduates of Turkey’s fine arts schools parade their work in the country’s cultural capital, Istanbul, sporting their agenda involving the issues of immigration, domestic violence and poorly planned urbanization. Turkey
Turkey in 2018: The war of the presidents Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees his predecessor, Abdullah Gul, as a rival and potential threat to his authority in the coming year. Turkey
Why Iran protests matter for Iraqis The Iranian protests could have an impact elsewhere in the region, potentially weakening Iraqi Shiite parties loyalty to Tehran. Iraq
Iraq cracks down on online gun sales Social media has become a meeting point for Iraqi weapon sellers and their clients, and some dealers have even started offering military weapons on these platforms. Iraq
Iranian hard-line cleric supports protests, with caveat Conservative voices have condemned the violence at protests but concede some Iranians have economic grievances. Iran
Iran grapples with how to deal with protests As the picture of the protests in Iran becomes more clear, it is evident that the main challenge for the establishment is how to deal with them. Iran
Three months after Baghdad took control, tensions high in Kirkuk The return of Iraqi federal rule in Kirkuk has brought about tensions between the Kurds and others amid joint attempts by the Kurds and the Baghdad government to calm the situation in the province. Iraq
Erdogan takes total control of Turkish defense industry With yet another emergency status decree, Turkey's president makes himself top gun of the country's entire defense industry. Turkey
Turkish government blames protests in Iran on the West Turkey’s pro-government media say an American-Israeli conspiracy to destabilize Iran has brought Iranian protesters to the streets. Turkey
Israeli centrist leader at war with UNRWA Contrary to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid wholeheartedly embraced the threats by the Trump administration to cut UNRWA financing, which has the potential to create a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Hifter set to cast wide influence in potential Libyan elections Libya’s military strongman, Khalifa Hifter, announced his support for UN-backed elections in the country in a surprising move that could see Hifter and his supporters sweep up power. Libya
Cinema bloggers of the Middle East boast free, unbiased voice Middle Eastern cinema bloggers gain popularity on social media, critiquing films on numerous Arabic-language blogs. Saudi Arabia
