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 credible are Egypt’s online polls? Opinion-takers employ both old and new technology to get inside the public’s collective head, but it’s hard to know if the results can be trusted. Egypt
Senate tacitly endorses US role in Yemen war The upper chamber overwhelmingly defeated a bill to block US arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Why is Egypt's army now in the baby formula business? While Egypt's army has long played a large role in the country's economy, recent steps taken by the armed forces in the baby formula and education sector have reignited fears about its financial power. Egypt
Rouhani set to address UNGA amid high expectations at home President Hassan Rouhani is in New York to address the UN General Assembly amid high expectations at home about the outcome of his trip. United States
Are Ankara, Washington on collision course in Syria? The tension between Turkey and the United States is threatening to sharply escalate with any missteps in the dance between Turkey's anti-Kurdish objectives and Washington's support for Syrian Kurdish groups. Syria
Wanted: Men to boycott male-only panels on Turkish TV Women have regressed from a mere minority to a real rarity on Turkish political TV programs, and a protest movement is finding little support from their powerful male colleagues. Turkey
How independent are Palestinian courts? The decision of the Palestinian High Court of Justice to postpone the local elections raised a debate among Palestinians, with some accusing the judiciary branch of being manipulated by the executive one. Palestine
Attacks spark fears that Iraq's 'liberated areas' aren't free of IS Islamic State fighters are still launching attacks against Iraq’s security forces in the liberated areas, indicating that there are still some IS enclaves and cells present on the edges of the cities. Iraq
Liberman’s punishment strategy brings an end to West Bank calm The plan by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman to punish West Bank villages from which Palestinian assailants originate provokes anger and frustration amid the local population. Palestine
The strange case of the Israeli defense minister Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman is a rare bird in the sense that he has no significant military experience, never commanded a military unit and speaks a different language from that of the military world. Israel
Why proposed blasphemy law horrifies many in Gaza One scholar's call for an anti-blasphemy law has riled Gazans across the Strip, with some saying the idea is better suited to the Islamic State and will damage Hamas' image as a moderate Islamic movement. Palestine
Why Iran and Saudi Arabia will jaw-jaw but not war-war Despite increasingly tough rhetoric and a breakdown in diplomatic relations, neither Iran nor Saudi Arabia appears to be looking for a new fight. Legacy: Gulf
