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
King Salman goes to Russia King Salman's visit to Russia is the first by a Saudi monarch, but the trip may be long on style and short on substance. Saudi Arabia
Beirut's international film festival turns 20 The celebrated Beirut International Film Festival provides a platform for filmmakers in the region to speak out on subjects that are taboo in their own countries. Lebanon
Kurdish referendum tests Iran-Turkey-Russia axis The warming of ties between Iran and Turkey, driven by their alarm over the independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, has the prospect of paving the way for the reshaping of the regional order. Turkey
Turkey lays out plans for Iraq's Kurds after independence vote Turkey is considering a new border crossing to Iraq designed to avoid the Kurdistan Regional Government, but the terrain of the proposed route is controlled by Kurds. Turkey
Erdogan, Rouhani stand together against Iraqi Kurdish state The Turkish president's Iran visit opened with a joint news conference in which he and Iran's president repeated Turkey’s demands that the Kurdistan Regional Government annul the results of the referendum on Iraqi Kurdish independence. Iraq
Iranian media praise late Talabani as friend of Iran Iranian media widely covered the passing of former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. Iraq
University's new dress code makes waves in Egypt Alexandria University has instituted a campus dress code forbidding ripped and close-fitting clothing as well as religious wear, to mixed reactions. Egypt
After two years in Syria, what’s next for Russia? Russia and the United States are curious about each other's long-term goals in Syria, and each believes the other has something up its sleeve. Syria
Kirkuk residents face uncertainty amid referendum crisis Kirkuk residents are fearful of the security and economic consequences of the Sept. 25 independence referendum as opposition to it persists. Iraq
Israel bets against Palestinian unity Israel's intelligence community does not think a Fatah-Hamas reconciliation will last in the long run, and the current Israeli government hopes it is right. Palestine
Jordan excludes Palestinians from foreign investor concessions Jordan reportedly excluded Palestinian investors from the West Bank from investing inside the kingdom, which some analysts link to the talks about finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, namely by creating a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation. Palestine
Why Palestine needs national library more than presidential palace Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' announcement of a national library was welcomed by the country’s cultural elite who consider it a start in securing Palestinian heritage and memory. Palestine
