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
Israeli Supreme Court’s new head gets chilly welcome The tense inauguration ceremony for new Chief Justice Esther Hayut was a sign of things to come, with subtle threats and promises haunting the festive televised event. Israel
Syrian Kurds focused on federalism The Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum continues to make waves in Syria as the country's Kurds believe they can negotiate with the Syrian government to establish a federal state. Iraq
Kurds in Iraqi army still serve despite conflict Thousands of Iraqi Kurds in the Iraqi army fear for their salaries and lives after the recent Kurdish referendum. Iraq
Gaza banks face uncertain future as reconciliation deal progresses The banks and other financial institutions that have long operated in Gaza under the Hamas government are finding themselves left out of the Palestinian reconciliation. Palestine
Palestine takes its first step as Interpol member state Palestinian officials say that joining interpol will allow them to fight crime more efficiently, and reject claims that they will use membership to target Israeli officials. Palestine
Local radio station uses airwaves to fight extremism in northern Syria A local radio station in Qamishli, in northern Syria, is helping the community overcome the suffering they endured under Islamic State rule, while trying at the same time to prevent youths from drifting into extremism. Syria
Congress moves flurry of bills to counter Iran Despite the partisan divide over the nuclear deal, there is overwhelming bipartisan consensus in Congress to apply more sanctions on Tehran and its proxies. Congress
Erdogan rival Aksener announces Turkey's newest party A nationalist politician who's already attracted plenty of attention as a potential challenger to Turkey's president has officially formed her new Iyi Parti. Turkey
Business as usual as Iraq's foreign minister visits Moscow In meetings this week, Russian and Iraqi officials discussed energy deals, Baghdad's battle with Iraqi Kurdistan and how those topics intersect. Iraq
Turkey’s paradox in Iraq: Weaker because of a weakened Kurdistan Turkey enjoyed the influence it wielded in Iraq because of its ties with the Kurdistan Regional Government, but it would rather see the KRG fall than risk an independent Iraqi Kurdistan inspiring Turkey's Kurds to seek the same. Iraq
Why is Baghdad paying salaries of Kurdistan employees? Amid ongoing disputes between Kurdistan and the Iraqi federal government, Baghdad announced that it is going to bypass the Kurdistan Regional Government and pay their civil servants directly. Iraq
Iran's media unconcerned with Iraq-Saudi Arabia rapprochement Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s recent trips to Saudi Arabia appear to have been coordinated to reduce Iran’s influence in Iraq, but Iranian media outlets do not seem concerned by the apparent Iraqi-Saudi Arabia rapprochement. Saudi Arabia
