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
Is Netanyahu’s son pulling him to the far-right? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son Yair expresses openly the far-right and Arab-hating positions expressed a bit more discreetly by his father and his official entourage. Israel
Egypt’s first female rally driver pushes women to go faster Yara Shalaby, who shocked the male-dominated racing scene by taking part and winning awards in rallies in Egypt and Gulf states, wants to teach other women to follow their dreams and fight stereotypes. Egypt
New Israeli Labor chief plans party takeover Avi Gabbay is not the first chairman of the Labor Party who wanted to change the party's constitution in order to gain control, but he is the most ambitious one. Israel
Draft bill would target Brotherhood workers in Egypt An Egyptian lawmaker is drafting contentious legislation that would allow civil servants to be fired from their jobs for no other reason than their affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt
Tunisian president calls for gender equality in inheritance law Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi’s proposal on National Women’s Day to amend the inheritance law so as to secure equal rights for women sparked much controversy in Tunisia. Tunisia
Turkey, Iran step up coordination in Syria Once unthinkable, an emerging consensus is developing between Ankara and Tehran in Syria, as Washington and Moscow try to keep pace; Iraqi Kurdish sources signal that it could be possible to delay a Kurdish independence referendum for a “short time.” Iraq
Iranian Kurdish fighters step up clashes ahead of KRG independence vote The increased attacks against Iranian forces by Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in Iraq raise questions about the future of relations between Erbil and Tehran. Iraqi-Kurdistan
No justice for trans Turkish woman murdered last year A year after her death, the murder of Hande Kader is still unsolved and the push for LGBTI rights around it has quieted. Turkey
Israel, Hamas, Egypt indirectly cooperating against IS While Egypt and Hamas coordinate efforts against the Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula, Israel is providing intelligence to Egypt to boost these efforts. Palestine
Saudi gamble on Hamas could pay off, or enrich rival Iran The Saudis are increasing pressure on Hamas, which might win them points with US President Donald Trump and Israel, but drive the Palestinian movement and its allies toward Iran. Saudi Arabia
Egypt acts to preserve Jewish heritage The Ministry of Antiquities has begun preservation and renovation of Eliyahu Hanavi in Alexandria, one of the biggest synagogues in the Middle East. Egypt
Iraq, Saudi Arabia to reopen border crossings after 27 years As Iraq and Saudi are preparing to open land border crossings between them, trade activities are likely to resume in the next few weeks. Saudi Arabia
