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
Religious, not political leaders guided Jerusalem through Aqsa crisis Respected religious authorities dominated the protest movement and did much of the organizing during the past few weeks of crisis at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Palestine
Israeli legislators protest outside attorney general’s home Israeli legislators should not join demonstrations criticizing Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit for taking his time in investigating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel
Russia, US to maintain contacts on Syria despite sanctions US and Russian officials will try to maintain contacts concerning world hotspots within the limits imposed by US sanctions on the Kremlin. Syria
Islamic writer's comments on smoking leave Turkish women fuming Islamic scholar and columnist Hayrettin Karaman has angered Turkish women by questioning the chastity of those who smoke while wearing the veil. Turkey
Iran steps up pressure on Iraqi Kurds to halt referendum Iran is stepping up pressure on Iraqi Kurdish political parties to refrain from holding their upcoming referendum on independence. Iraq
Iranian MPs face backlash over selfies with Mogherini Iran's parliamentarians are under fire for taking selfies with visiting EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. Iran
Turks spooked by 90s-style disappearances The dark days of Turkey in the 1990s could be creeping back as at least four men have gone missing under similar suspicious circumstances in Ankara since March. Turkey
Turkey's tough stance on Uighurs has implications for Syria The Turkish foreign minister promised China to put an end to anti-China activities in Turkey and in the region, which means terminating support to Uighur militants. Turkey
Netanyahu's money man set to tell all Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former Chief of Staff Ari Harow has many secrets to tell about Netanyahu’s relations with rich businesspeople. Israel
How Abbas' spite for Dahlan could reconcile Fatah, Hamas At a meeting in Ramallah, Hamas offered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas seats on Gaza’s Supreme Civil Council, and Abbas just might accept. Palestine
Rebel groups weigh options in Syria's east Armed opposition groups from Syria's eastern province of Deir ez-Zor are working on how to retake their city from the Islamic State before the Syrian regime does without having to ally with Kurdish forces. Syria
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham plots its next move in northern Syria Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is consolidating its influence in northern Syria, mainly in Idlib, and trying to position itself as a de facto interlocutor in political agreements reshaping the country. Syria
