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
Will Libya devalue its dinar? In Libya, devaluing the dinar is not about creating jobs, but stabilizing public finances, preserving foreign currency reserves and solving the ongoing liquidity crisis. Libya
Syria to get civilian safe zones Cease-fire mediators have agreed to establish and enforce areas free from fighting in Syria. Syria
Will bigger cash handouts land conservatives Iranian presidency? Iranian conservative presidential candidates continue their strategy of making promises focused on increasing monthly cash subsidy payments and creating millions of jobs. Iran
4 reasons Rouhani is winning Iran's foreign policy debate As in the 2013 presidential polls, foreign policy has increasingly become a key component of Iran's presidential elections. Iran
The real reason behind Turkey’s skyrocketing welfare spending The number of people entitled to social welfare assistance has reached 15.5 million in Turkey, raising questions on what lies behind the government’s generosity. Turkey
Ultra-Orthodox threaten Netanyahu’s coalition over Sabbath crisis Contrary to past Sabbath crises, this time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is refusing to cede to ultra-Orthodox demands. Israel
Turkey unveiling defense industry innovations it hopes will boost exports Turkey’s defense industry will exhibit ambitious products at the IDEF Fair, largely aimed at foreign markets. Turkey
Mosul civil servants still waiting to be paid As the Iraqi government is still unable to pay salaries to its employees in Mosul, people continue to face financial woes. Iraq
Residents in Syria's eastern Ghouta face tightened siege The Syrian regime tightened its siege on eastern Ghouta, and the infighting within the opposition factions will likely contribute to the regime’s seizure of Ghouta. Syria
How pyramids photoshoot inflamed Egypt-Sudan media war Cairo and Khartoum have signed an agreement to gain control of the media storm fed by tension between the two countries. Egypt
What’s behind controversial new initiative from Egyptian Islamist group? The Egyptian government and different parties in the Sinai Peninsula turned a deaf ear to the Save Sinai initiative, a proposal launched by Gamaa Islamiya aimed at halting violence in the region. Egypt
Egypt’s economists laud new residency-for-deposits law In an effort to bolster Egypt’s economy, parliament passed a law that grants residency to foreigners in return for bank deposits in hard currency. Egypt
