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
Russian defense minister arrives in Tel Aviv as Israel strikes Syria Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman explained to visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu Israel’s red lines in Syria. Israel
Film about interfaith dialogue opens in Egypt to praise "The Sultan and the Saint," an award-winning film about interfaith dialogue at the height of the Crusades, has found an enthusiastic reception in Egypt, where the true story played out. Egypt
Palestinian journalists launch independent online news channel At a time when biased media outlets are a dime a dozen in Palestinian territories, a group of Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip decided to launch an independent online news channel that uses Facebook and YouTube to disseminate news items. Palestine
West Bank telecom authorities flounder in flood of Israeli phone tech Increasing numbers of Palestinians are using Israeli SIM cards for better cellular service despite their illegality, and the West Bank's economy and security are paying the price. Palestine
Raqqa win pulls US deeper into Syria conflict The fall of the Islamic State capital could put the US military on a collision course with Assad. Syria
Iraq's female booksellers turn the page on gender roles Iraqi women have started operating their own bookstores in different Iraqi cities, challenging the country's book selling industry that has been dominated by men. Iraq
How Iran helped Baghdad seize back Kirkuk The Iraqi government’s rapid recapture of Kirkuk from Kurdish forces was made possible by Iranian intervention. Iraq
Iran denies role in recapture of Kirkuk Iranian officials and media throw their support behind the Iraqi government’s operation to retake Kirkuk, but deny that the IRGC played any role. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Turkey pledges to back Baghdad against Kurds Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim praised the capture of Kirkuk by Iraqi forces as Turkey continues to express outrage over the Kurdish vote for independence. Iraq
Turkey's return riles Syria: It's 'blatant aggression' Turkey's army has entered Syrian territory ostensibly to implement and ensure a de-escalation zone near Idlib, but some wonder what else the military might have in mind. Syria
Will Turkish-Iraqi alliance against Kurds hold? Ankara is happy that the Baghdad government has regained control over Kirkuk, but questions remain whether Turkey and Iraq can agree on the city’s future status. Iraq
Saudi Arabia’s call for international coalition against Hezbollah faces obstacles A Saudi politician called for the establishment of an international coalition to confront Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a suggestion that did not garner much support, namely in Europe. Saudi Arabia
