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
Have Israel, PA figured out how to stop attacks? The Palestinian Authority is using a two-phase approach against potential attackers, first approaching school students and then talking to their parents. Palestine
Pro-Rouhani candidates scoop up most seats in runoff The second round of Iran’s parliamentary elections gave most remaining seats to the Reformist-moderate camp that supports President Hassan Rouhani. Iran
Why Merkel's criticism only strengthens Netanyahu Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to have suffered not at all from Der Spiegel's bombshell report about German frustration over Israel's continuing occupation policy. Palestine
Khamenei to US Navy: Keep your drills in the Bay of Pigs Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran would not refrain from holding military drills in the Persian Gulf. Iran
Has Europe had enough of Netanyahu? European leaders seem to have come to the realization that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can't be taken at his word. Palestine
How Syrian women are gaining new confidence in Turkish refugee camp Syrian women who take part in craft workshops in Islahiye refugee camp learn new skills, earn some extra money and above all find a place of support. Syria
US, Russia compete to woo Syrian Kurds The recent rapprochement between the Kurds and Russia is a new phase in the two sides' relations that date back to the 19th century, but Kurds do not want to alienate the United States either. Iraq
Islamic State isn’t the only one calling for a caliphate in Turkey The Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir is hosting a series of conferences in Ankara and Istanbul calling for a caliphate to be reinstated and demanding the closure of the US and British embassies to end terror in Turkey. Turkey
Saudi IS members killing their own relatives The control demonstrated by the Islamic State over some young Saudi minds apparently exceeds even that of prominent Muslim leaders. Saudi Arabia
Five years after bin Laden’s death, mystery surrounding Saudi Arabia and 9/11 remains A congressionally mandated FBI report into possible foreign support for the Sept. 11 attacks deserves more attention. Saudi Arabia
Aleppo on verge of decisive battle UN Syria envoy calls for “urgent initiative” as Syrian offensive in Aleppo appears imminent; the question at the heart of the Aramco IPO offer. Saudi Arabia
Will secular parties gain upper hand in Iraq? As religious currents have lost the people's and religious establishment's support, a secular discourse is more likely to emerge and compete with religious currents in the future. Iraq
