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
Why are Turks flocking to Greece? A combination of economic, social and political factors has led to a significant increase in the number of Turks vacationing in Greece. Turkey
Gaza's clothing makers look to weave their way back into Israeli markets For the first time in 10 years, a Palestinian sewing company in Gaza exports a shipment of clothes to the Israeli market. Palestine
Jordan opens crossing with Iraq, makes nice with Syria Jordan hopes that the reopening of its border crossing with Iraq is a step toward economic recovery, a goal also leading it to maintain a more moderate approach toward the Syrian government. Iraq
Netanyahu maintains battle against Iran deal ahead of UN meeting The Israeli leadership fears that with the US administration leaving Syria in Russian hands and its inaction toward North Korea, no one will stop Tehran from placing its forces near Israel’s borders. Israel
Will Egypt impose a 'Gaza supervisor' on Hamas? By agreeing to dismantle its Gaza governing body, Hamas indicates that it is willing to concede to Egypt’s demands and form a unity government with Fatah. Palestine
With win over IS, Lebanese army jostles Hezbollah The Lebanese army's recent victory against IS on the Syrian border offered proof of the state forces' growing military capabilities, but Hezbollah still plays an important and complementary role in Lebanese security despite the rivalry between the two encouraged by the United States and Iran. Lebanon
How Israel's political parties headhunt generals Labor head Avi Gabbay and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid both know that to win the premiership they must add a prominent ex-general to their Knesset lists. Israel
Iraqi war victims find solace on stage Theater therapy in Iraq is being utilized to help treat people suffering from war-related psychological problems, but institutionalizing the approach faces its own struggle in the country. Iraq
US arms sale to Bahrain raises questions about sustainability The $3.8 billion sale of jets and patrol boats dwarfs the tiny emirate’s annual defense budget. Bahrain
Senate could reverse billions of dollars of cuts to Israeli defense sector An amendment from Sen. Lindsey Graham would allow Israel to continue using US military financing on its own domestic industry. Israel
No release for jailed journalists in Turkey’s Cumhuriyet case During the latest hearing in a state lawsuit against journalists from Turkey's Cumhuriyet newspaper, the court has upheld its decision to keep the defendants in jail until the next hearing. Turkey
Senior Iranian diplomat: US is serious about killing nuclear deal The head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations warns that the US administration is serious in its efforts to kill the nuclear deal. Saudi Arabia
