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 Lebanon's new president give up on old friends? Mohammad Javad Zarif became the first foreign minister to personally congratulate Lebanon’s new president, but what does the Iranian rush really say about the geopolitical game being played out in Beirut? Legacy: Gulf
AKP targets judicial independence in latest post-coup takedown Turkey's judicial oversight body has been disbanded in the aftermath of the coup attempt, as Ankara continues to dissolve independent institutions and replace them with pro-government ones. Turkey
US order to evacuate dependents worries Turks Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems indifferent to Western countries' warnings about the increased likelihood of terror attacks in Turkey, but citizens there are taking note. Turkey
How Netanyahu profits from media reports against him Likud members fear Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wrath and thus do not react to his statements criticizing the press. Israel
Will Mosul remain under military rule after liberation from IS? Iraqi politicians have proposed appointing a military governor for Mosul after its liberation to prevent the city from falling back into the hands of terrorists. Iraq
Is it time for a national settlement in Iraq? The predominantly Shiite National Alliance that constitutes the majority of the Iraqi parliament released a document for national reconciliation for the post-Islamic State phase, though it is far from being implemented on the ground. Iraq
Educating Syrian refugees still a challenge in Turkey Syrian refugee children in Turkey are being educated in a variety of government, private and religious schools. Syria
Medicinal herb industry takes root in Palestine The cultivation of medicinal herbs in Palestine has been growing over the past decade in an industry that benefits from the experience of Palestinian former workers in Israeli settlements. Palestine
Netanyahu’s new target: Israel's media Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved beyond his traditional enemies of Iran and Palestine and has designated the Israeli media as his new nemesis. Israel
Does Cairo need to rethink its Sinai strategy? Despite the government’s measures to eliminate terrorists from the Sinai Peninsula, the groups are thriving. Egypt
Obama’s last chance of ending Israeli occupation President Barack Obama must now muster the courage to fulfill his 2009 Cairo speech pledge to push for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Palestine
Why Israeli Arabs prefer studying in the West Bank Israeli-Arab students find it difficult to pass the entry exams of universities in Israel that favor Hebrew-speaking Israeli Jews, and prefer enrolling in West Bank universities. Palestine
