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
Developing PKK kidnapping story concerns KRG officials As new details paint a much more intricate picture of the Turkish spy incident in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)'s operations there threaten to complicate the job of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Turkey
Iran keeping watchful eye on Iraqi Kurdistan, Israel Tehran openly opposes Iraqi Kurdistan's upcoming independence referendum, but many observers feel Iran is actually taking measures to counter Israeli actions in the Kurdish region. Iraq
Arabs and Jews unite against Netanyahu's divide and rule tactics Jewish and Arab activists are mobilizing to stop discriminatory and divisive policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Palestine
What Trump really wants for the Mideast The unrealistic statements by US envoy Jason Greenblatt about the Palestinian Authority's ruling the Gaza Strip again might indicate that US President Donald Trump does not have a realistic plan for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestine
Egypt's alimony reform debate begins before bill is introduced A parliament member is looking to expedite the yearslong process Egyptian women often must go through to receive alimony when they file for divorce. Egypt
As Qatar-Bahrain rift widens, economic costs emerge Qatar’s economic and geopolitical separation from Bahrain and other GCC states will come with economic costs. Bahrain
After years of sanctions, Persian rugs back to brighten world markets Iran’s world-renowned handwoven carpets are already making a strong comeback in global markets following the lifting of sanctions. Iran
New industrial policy poised to transform Iran’s political economy Iran’s lighter fingerprints on foreign investment and enterprise are gearing things up for a transformation of the country’s political economy. Iran
Arab artists show Amman's true colors Young artists bring color to Amman’s grayness with graffiti and lively street art, but they’d be wise to refrain from political slogans Jordan
Pro-Iranian Shiite factions lose popular support in Iraq The recent agreement between Hezbollah and a group of pro-Islamic State fighters to arrange their evacuation from the Lebanese-Syrian border to the Syrian-Iraqi border triggered an outburst of public anger against Hezbollah and Iraqi factions fighting alongside Hezbollah on Syrian territory for years. Iraq
Turkey adds to its critical deficit of military pilots As Turkey's military pilot shortage worsens, the government is ordering former pilots back into service on short notice. Turkey
Iran plays Hamas card Iran's improved relations with Turkey, Qatar and Hamas send a message to the region. Palestine
