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 some Palestinians are siding with the IDF Palestinian officials do not think the rift between the IDF and Israel's political leadership will improve the Palestinians' situation or advance diplomacy toward peace. Palestine
Congress rolls out red carpet in Washington for jilted GCC The Senate is getting ready to extend diplomatic courtesies to the Gulf Cooperation Council as it prepares to open a Washington office. Legacy: Gulf
Why Iran should focus on Turkey, not Russia, for Syria cooperation Despite all talk of a nascent Russian-Iranian alliance, it appears that Iranian interests — and the objective of peace in Syria — are perhaps best served through Iranian-Turkish cooperation. Turkey
Is Rafsanjani’s daughter headed for more legal trouble? Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani faces possible legal action after appearing in a photo with leaders of Iran’s Baha’i community. Iran
Turkish ambassador calls joining EU Ankara’s 'strategic objective' In a wide-ranging interview with Al-Monitor, Turkish Ambassador to France Hakki Akil discussed Turkey’s perspectives on a safe zone in Syria, the migration crisis, Turkey’s progress toward EU membership, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Russian intervention in Syria and the possibility of international intervention in Libya. Syria
Satire leads Egypt youth troupe to prison The Egyptian authorities seem to be taking a break from fighting terrorism to zealously track down young entertainers. Egypt
Foreign terrorist fighters, reverse migration are global crises There is a pressing need for international cooperation to deal with foreign terrorist fighters and overcome the "not in my backyard" mindset. Iraq
Is Kim Kardashian leading the evil eye jewelry craze? Evil eye beads, which have become a celebrity craze in the United States, are the one red line that Islamists in Turkey have not crossed so far. Turkey
Will opening of Israeli crossing help Gaza’s economy? Israel recently announced plans to reopen the Erez/Beit Hanoun crossing into Gaza, but many say it is not enough to relieve Gaza’s devastated economy. Palestine
Iraq's parliament helpless to halt political crisis Iraq's political crisis has worsened, and the parliament cannot even meet to discuss proposals for resolving it. Iraq
Will unity deal deepen rivalries in Iraqi Kurdistan? Long-time Kurdish rivals Gorran and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan recently reached an agreement that might further entrench Kurdish division in Iraqi Kurdistan. Iraq
Jordan, Turkey compete to woo Jerusalem As Turkey and Jordan vie for influence in Jerusalem, the ever-growing presence in the city of the Turkish flag, Turkish restaurants and photos of Turkey’s president reflect Turkey might be winning. Palestine
