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
Ankara's paranoia spikes as Qatar shunned The news that five Arab countries have cut ties with Qatar, its close regional ally, has rattled Turkey, which depends on its political, military and business ties with Qatar. United Arab Emirates
Ankara's governor decrees no protest singing after sundown Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s fascination with bans is increasing along with his desperation to remain in control. Turkey
The story behind Israel’s atomic explosion plan For many years, Israel tried to prevent Brig. Gen. Yitzhak Yaakov from revealing the story of the 1967 plans to detonate an explosive device in the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt
Re-elected Rouhani now stuck in 'middle-class trap' The Iranian middle class made sure President Hassan Rouhani was elected to a second term, but if their grievances are not properly addressed, the middle class could also ensure the rise of another hard-liner to power. Iran
Iran’s supreme leader attacks US for support of Saudi Arabia Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran must not compromise with Western demands. Saudi Arabia
'Dean' of prisoners appointed to top Fatah body As the hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails ended, Fatah named the longest-serving prisoner, Karim Younis, to its Central Committee. Palestine
Palestinians opt for Islamic banking Islamic banks operating in Palestine have experienced remarkable growth in the past decade compared to conventional banks. Palestine
Hamas executes convicted Israeli spies after breakneck trial Despite the legal issues that emerged in the prosecution of three men convicted of killing a Hamas military commander, Hamas carried out their execution in a matter of days of the trial's conclusion. Palestine
Saudi bloc splinters over hard line on Iran Riyadh summit may have fueled sectarian animosities; Hamas resets its ties with Iran and Russia. Saudi Arabia
Turks don't click and tell on e-matchmaking Turkey’s largest online dating site has 18 million registered profiles and 1 million people who have logged in over the last 12 months, but few will tell about their experiences. Turkey
Egypt, Russia cover lots of common ground in recent meeting Many countries were paying attention when Russia sent two top ministers to Cairo last week. Egypt
Ankara looks beyond Raqqa offensive for fate of northern Syria The Turkish government is worried about how the Democratic Union Party will transform northern Syria once the Islamic State is defeated in Raqqa. Iraq
