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
Jordan pivots to Saudi Arabia After years of a cool relationship between Jordan and Saudi Arabia, the two Arab kingdoms seem to be united to fight Iran’s regional interference. Saudi Arabia
Were Bibi's Golan comments a 'death blow' to peace? The declaration by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel will hold on to the Golan Heights forever threatens any possibility of an agreement with the Palestinians and Arab states. Saudi Arabia
Fight over Iran's access to dollars takes partisan turn A flurry of Republican bills are getting no love from Democrats. Congress
How sanctions relief became a tool in Iran’s domestic battles Opponents of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani have stepped up their criticism, claiming that Iran has not yet been reconnected to the global financial communications system. Iran
Will Tehran's top Reformist MP take last shot at political leadership? With Iran's next parliament close to being sworn in, Reformist frontrunner Mohammad Reza Aref is likely to challenge Ali Larijani for the position of speaker. Iran
Is this the death of print media in Egypt? To cut down on costs, Egypt’s newspapers may stop publishing their print editions. Egypt
How one tragedy is bringing Afghans, Iranians together The horrendous murder of a 6-year-old Afghan girl living outside Tehran brings Afghans and Iranians together. Iran
Is Egypt judging its judges too harshly? Some judges are being forced to retire, ostensibly for political activity — but they say it is because they’re not supporting the ruling regime. Egypt
For some fleeing conflict, even Yemen is a haven Thousands of Africans fleeing the misery in their countries continue to seek refuge in Yemen, which itself is suffering the ravages of civil war. Saudi Arabia
Khamenei warns of 'soft war' between Iran, US After the Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned Hezbollah and Iran, Iran's supreme leader has indirectly criticized Saudi Arabia and called the condemnation meaningless. Saudi Arabia
How Turkish intelligence scored much-needed success Turkey's National Intelligence Organization says it recently made an arrest in a counterespionage case, saving the design secrets of government-owned Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corp.’s first nationally produced rifle. Turkey
Turkey on the hunt for skull of great Ottoman architect Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has ordered a search for the missing skull of the great Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan, but some historians say the skull never reached modern times intact. Turkey
