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
Why is Turkey reviving an Ottoman sultan? A great Ottoman sultan-caliph is being re-popularized in today’s Turkey with a clear political intention: legitimizing authoritarian rule. Turkey
Iran reacts to death of Israel’s founding father As news of the death of Israeli founding father and prominent politician Shimon Peres broke, Iranian media outlets wasted no time in commenting on his legacy, and their various obituaries tell the story of a long and complex relationship between the two countries. Israel
FIFA under pressure to sanction Israel for settlement games A powerful report by Human Rights Watch on the eve of a FIFA meeting forces the global soccer association to act against Israeli settlement teams. Palestine
Is Netanyahu ready to join forces with opposition leader? According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a year and a half of negotiating with Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog the possibility of a unity government, the time might have come for this to happen. Israel
Iraqi ministers fall like dominoes as Maliki's bloc targets Abadi A parliamentary bloc led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is behind the recent dismissal of several ministers as part of a plan to bring down the government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and pave the way for Nouri al-Maliki's nomination in the coming election. Iraq
How Khamenei played his ace to sideline Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to be on the verge of disobeying Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei until the ayatollah went public with his disapproval. Iran
US threatens to halt talks with Russia on Syria Washington has threatened to suspend US-Russian engagement on Syria if Moscow does not take immediate steps to halt a Russian-backed Syrian regime assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo. Syria
Congress sends Riyadh 'signal' with vote to allow terror lawsuits Congress defeated President Barack Obama's effort to shield the US ally from terrorism-related lawsuits. Saudi Arabia
After Obama, what comes next for US-Tunisia ties? While the United States has a strategic interest in keeping Tunisia stable, its interest recently has been mostly lip service, and some argue things are unlikely to change after the November elections. Tunisia
Barely illegal: The changing face of Turkey's pleasure industry Prostitution and escort services — often one and the same — are flourishing through aggressive promotions using hookup apps, social media and online marketplaces right under the nose of Islamists. Turkey
AKP’s war economy widens income gap A recent survey by Turkey’s official statistics agency reveals growing income disparities as the country’s economic downturn continues amid unrest both at home and in the region. Turkey
Fulfilling vision of Peres requires dismantling settlements Former Israeli President Shimon Peres' Middle East peace legacy can only be realized if the settlements he himself approved many years ago are dismantled. Palestine
