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
Turkey's AKP manages to fend off economic crisis, but at what price? The Turkish government has succeeded in fending off a full-blown economic crisis, but its measures have made the economy less resilient against future contractions. Turkey
Can US-Sunni alliance lure Baghdad away from Tehran? With US support, Sunni Arab countries in the Gulf hope to bring Iraq into their fold and away from Iran's powerful grasp. Saudi Arabia
To pressure Hamas, PA now sticking it to the sick The health of thousands of sick Palestinians in Gaza is in jeopardy as the Palestinian Authority cuts off medical supplies. Palestine
Riyadh, not Trump, holds key to Israel-Palestinian peace A peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians could be born only out of direct negotiations between Israel and pragmatic Arab leaders, not out of a deal proposed by US President Donald Trump. Legacy: Gulf
Modern architecture meets tradition in Palestine's first planned city The Palestinian city of Rawabi, which combines modernity with Palestinian heritage, hopes to attract tourists from around the world. Palestine
Trump goes on Iran-bashing tour Iran has replaced the Islamic State as Donald Trump’s boogeyman during his first trip abroad, to the delight of the Saudis and Israel. Saudi Arabia
Is Moscow a likely matchmaker between Israelis, Palestinians? Russia continues to step up its diplomatic game in the Middle East by reinforcing ties with Israelis and Palestinians and allowing its stances to evolve. Palestine
Egypt may impose hefty fines on tourist harassers A draft law that would impose fines on vendors who harass tourists in Egypt also hopes to curtail the sexual harassment of visitors to the country. Egypt
Rouhani hints at talks with US to lift non-nuclear sanctions In his first press conference after being re-elected, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hinted at the possibility of broader talks with the United States to have the non-nuclear sanctions lifted. Iran
7 perils of Trump's attempt to isolate Iran President Donald Trump’s alignment of US foreign policy with that of Saudi Arabia will only serve to exacerbate tension and confrontation in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan looks to strengthen grip with return to AKP helm Now that Turkey's ruling party has restored President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as chair, expect a radical shakeup throughout the country in preparation for critical municipal elections to be held in March 2019. Turkey
Can Syrians sway future elections in Turkey? Close to 2 million Syrians will obtain the right to seek citizenship in Turkey in 2019, a prospect that may have decisive repercussions on a critical election cycle that year. Syria
