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 ex-minister’s return to prison may ease Lebanon's political deadlock A court's decision to put Michel Samaha back behind bars might help ease Sunni-Shiite stress, but solving sectarian differences will require everyone's cooperation. Saudi Arabia
The 'out-of-the-box' proposal on the Golan Heights France is advancing an idea that in exchange for Israeli readiness to take security risks in the framework of a two-state solution, the Golan Heights issue will be taken off the regional negotiation table. Palestine
Could economic ties be key to calming Egypt-Italy tensions? Although tensions are high between Cairo and Rome following the murder of Italian graduate student Giulio Regeni, the strong economic ties between the two will likely persist. Egypt
Can US, Iran maintain ties after Obama? After three years of frequent and intense US-Iranian diplomatic contacts during the successful Iran nuclear deal negotiations, can the United States and Iran maintain their diplomatic opening after President Barack Obama leaves office and John Kerry is no longer secretary of state? Iran
Tehran police chief defends new undercover morality police force Tehran’s police chief, Hossein Sajedinia, has defended the decision to introduce 7,000 undercover morality officers in the capital, explaining the force will monitor security issues as well as appropriate women’s veiling. Iran
Why Turkey frets over US-Russian relations Will Turkey’s leaders have to wait for the next US president to challenge Russia in the manner they would like? Syria
The real reason some Turks are so quick to cry ‘coup’ in Brazil When Turks comment on the "coup" in Brazil, they are actually speaking about Turkey. Turkey
Shelling of Aleppo neighborhood threatens to stir up Arab-Kurdish strife The armed Syrian opposition's ongoing shelling on the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maksoud neighborhood of Aleppo risks potential strife between Sunni Arabs and Kurds. Syria
How Israelis keep Passover traditions alive Israelis keep their forefathers' Passover dinner traditions, with Persian Jews hitting their dinner neighbors with green onions and Djerba Jews reading the Haggadah in Arabic. Israel
How Orthodox Israelis are battling sexual harassment For more than a decade, a unique Israeli forum composed of religious leaders, legal experts and mental health workers has quietly dealt with allegations of sexual misconduct. Israel
Why Egyptians' anger at island handover is misplaced Angry Egyptians decried the return of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia while ignoring possible economic benefits and returns for Egypt as part of the agreement. Saudi Arabia
Regional conflicts spill into Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps In light of an inability to control mounting tensions at Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, the situation warns of an impending explosion. Palestine
