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
Can Israel's opposition leader challenge Netanyahu? With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu up again in the polls, Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog needs to present to the public a coherent and clear political program in order to defeat him. Israel
US promises Turkey role in Raqqa in surprise Ankara meeting The United States has reached out to Turkey, which is fuming over US support for Kurdish-led forces in Syria, by sending its chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to meet with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara and discuss Raqqa. Syria
Controversy flares over opening of EU office in Iran Iran's Foreign Ministry has sparked confusion in sending mixed signals about the government's position on opening an EU office in Tehran. Iran
Turkish soap operas turn Istanbul into Paris of the East Popular Turkish TV series are filling state coffers by attracting tourists from as far away as South America. Turkey
What minefields await Lebanon's new president? Michel Aoun was sworn in just a week ago, and he already faces a full agenda of crucial issues as Lebanon's president. Saudi Arabia
Turkish universities latest domino in Erdogan's path Under the state of emergency, the president of Turkey now has the power to appoint the heads of all state-run as well as private universities. Turkey
Black smoke, suspicion hang heavy over Iraq's Qayyarah More than two months after the liberation of Qayyarah from the Islamic State, the oil wells the militants set ablaze continue to blacken the town with toxic smoke. Iraq
New Arabic music degree program attracts Palestinian students Birzeit University in the West Bank has launched a new bachelor's degree program that allows students to learn more than just music theory. Palestine
How Abbas could end up with three successors As Fatah’s seventh congress draws near, there is talk of distributing the top three positions within the movement, all currently held by President Mahmoud Abbas, to different individuals. Palestine
Meet the IDF’s new deputy chief of staff Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman decided to act quickly by appointing Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi as the IDF’s deputy chief of staff, before the State Comptroller published his report of Operation Protective Edge. Israel
Can Lebanon’s Old Guard forge new social contract? Lebanese citizens hope for greater accountability, independence and distance from foreign conflicts after Michel Aoun engineers breakthrough by forming a new government. Lebanon
Saudi Arabia losing ground to Iran Saudi influence in the region has been on the decline for a number of reasons, and the kingdom has now suffered another setback in Lebanon with the election of President Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah. Saudi Arabia
