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
How will Egypt spend its $12B from the IMF? The IMF has approved a $12 billion loan, but how will the Egyptian administration spend this amount, amid allegations of the misuse of previous Gulf loans. Egypt
Canceled speech causes political turmoil in Iran Confusion over who was behind the controversial decision to bar an outspoken Iranian parliamentarian from speaking in the city of Mashhad is raising heated debate between moderates and conservatives. Iran
Egyptians, Gazans move to strengthen economic ties During the Ain Sokhna conference in Egypt, Palestinian businessmen put forth the decade-old idea of a free trade zone between both parties, in a bid to ease the Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Why Turkey issued arrest warrant for this Kurdish leader Ankara issued an arrest warrant for PYD leader Salih Muslim, which appears to be part of an all-out war against Rojava. But will it work? Syria
Sunni town, Shiite PMU join forces in fight against IS Hundreds of civilians flee daily from the Islamic State-controlled areas toward Sunni areas under control of the predominantly Shiite Popular Mobilization Units. Iraq
Will Russia replace US in Palestinian prisoner swap deal? The Russian ties with Turkey and Iran may help it to embark on secret negotiations with Hamas to release Israeli soldiers detained in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Iran’s mega deal with Airbus inches closer to finalization Only days after the US House voted against the Boeing and Airbus deals with Iran, the US Treasury issued a second license for Airbus to sell 106 aircraft to Tehran. United States
Erdogan blocks child rape bill as EU Parliament votes on bid freeze After a public outcry, Turkey's ruling party scrapped its controversial bill pardoning child rapists who marry their victims in what could be a sign that common sense still has some sway in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s "New Turkey," but likely has more to do with an expected EU move to freeze Turkey's membership bid. Turkey
Rabbis speak out against women's enlistment in IDF The national-religious sector, well represented in the Israel Defense Forces, maintains strong opposition to enlistment by women, and recent proposals to encourage religious women to enlist have met stiff resistance from a group of rabbis. Israel
Netanyahu struggles to control Israeli right in run-up to Trump The Israeli right is taking matters into its own hands as uncertainty over US President-elect Donald Trump's diplomatic strategy reigns. Israel
Turkey’s 'big bosses' gather courage to speak out on economy Turkey’s most powerful business group, TUSIAD, long silenced by the government, seems to be regaining its voice as the country’s economic downturn worsens. Turkey
Why Iran’s private sector hasn't benefited from privatization Despite ambitious plans to downsize government and help expand the private sector, Iran’s efforts to privatize state-owned enterprises continue to face serious challenges. Iran
