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 moves full throttle toward one-party state Turkey’s authoritarian shift may be institutionalized in a matter of months, as few obstacles remain before a referendum on a presidential system. Turkey
Iranian Kurds fighting IS in Iraq put Tehran on alert Iran appears increasingly alarmed about the Iranian Kurdish separatists who are fighting the Islamic State alongside Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Is Yemen falling into an abyss? Yemen's brutal civil war must end soon before the damage becomes irreparable. Saudi Arabia
Raqqa’s displaced flee to Iraqi border areas The residents of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor are fleeing the fighting and are heading to al-Hawl camp in Hasakah, where conditions are harsh for the thousands of displaced. Syria
Why can't Egyptians get the medicines they need? Egypt's decision to float the pound sent drug prices soaring, and drug companies have responded by curtailing imports, leading to a critical shortage. Egypt
Kurdish soldiers bring own weapons to fight IS in Mosul As the Kurdish peshmerga complain about the shortage of US support, some tend to buy weapons with their own money to attend the battle against the Islamic State. Iraq
How will Israel punish suspected wildfire arsonists? Israeli politicians are asking to revoke the citizenship of the Palestinian arsonists, even though international law prohibits leaving a person without citizenship. Palestine
PA's 'Trump team' lays plans for next four years Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has formed a steering committee to prepare for Donald Trump’s presidency as speculation about his intentions continues. Palestine
Putin not waiting for Trump to press advantage in Syria Russian president seeks gains in Syria in the final weeks of the Obama administration; Saudi Arabia encouraged by Trump’s take on Iran; Liberman as gatekeeper between Trump and Netanyahu. Saudi Arabia
Why does President Erdogan admire Belarus? Erdogan prefers the self-styled “democracy” of Belarus and hails it against the failures and double standards of the West. Turkey
Islamic State turns to cigarette smuggling to fund itself As the Islamic State loses its financial resources, it turns to fund the organization through other resources such as cigarette smuggling. Iraq
Will Cairo turn its back on Abbas? Egypt's position toward Hamas is changing, at the expense of its relations with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as Cairo seems to be more supportive of his rival for the presidency, dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan. Palestine
