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
Iran drawing closer to Azerbaijan Long marred by political tensions largely driven by Iranian suspicions of Azerbaijan’s ties with Israel, relations between Baku and Tehran are beginning to reach new heights. Iran
Erdogan to make diplomatic push to defuse Saudi-Iranian dispute Turkey's president is set to visit Russia, Kuwait and Qatar to seek a resolution of a crisis Turkey fears could engulf the region. Turkey
Gold trader case threatens economic fallout for Turkey The sanctions-busting case against Iranian-Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab in the United States has raised the specter of continuing tensions in US-Turkish bilateral ties, with serious implications for the Turkish economy. Turkey
Arab-Israelis fear new bill to increase security guards' powers A bill initiated by Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan aimed at enlarging security guards’ responsibilities has sparked fear among Israeli-Arab bus drivers of an increase in violence against them. Israel
Why Israelis support Netanyahu despite scandals Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still polling well despite the increasing entanglement of himself and his close associates in potentially criminal scandals. Israel
Iran’s debt market emerges as key to economic future The Iranian debt market has emerged as a key venue — and battleground — for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's administration to realize its economic aims. Iran
Shock suspension of Iranian hard-line daily over headline Kayhan, the mouthpiece of Iran’s hard-liners, has been suspended for two days after a headline suggesting that Yemen’s Houthi movement will attack Dubai. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan's mayor purge leaves almost half of Turkey without elected officials Following a series of expulsions and forced resignations by the Turkish government, tens of millions of Turkish citizens have seen their elected mayors removed from power only to be replaced with government-selected "custodians." Turkey
Turkish prime minister’s family caught up in Paradise Papers leak Popular Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim denies any wrongdoing after his close family members appeared in the Paradise Papers that list companies and individuals who shield their wealth in offshore tax havens. Turkey
Russia, Oman size each other up as potential Mideast allies Despite a challenging history, Russia finds common ground with Oman, which sometimes seems the "odd man out" in the Gulf. Oman
Gaza traders, consumers welcome end of double taxation Palestinians in the Gaza Strip hope reconciliation will bring economic relief with the end of Hamas-imposed taxes and fees on top of those paid to the Palestinian Authority on imports. Palestine
Syria conflict takes its toll on Golan Druze While the Syrian war has taken quite a toll on Syrian Druze in the occupied Golan Heights, some of the Druze fear Israel could use them as a pretext for expanding cross-border military moves. Palestine
