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
Will he, won't he? Turks ponder whether Erdogan will invade Syria The unhappy Turkish president has many factors to consider if he is contemplating military intervention in Syria. Syria
Rouhani awards medals to nuclear negotiators Iranian President Hassan Rouhani awarded medals to members of his Cabinet and the nuclear negotiation team. Iran
Why Yemen may not be heading for a split Have southern Yemeni rebel leaders forfeited their quest to secede in exchange for positions of power or are they building political strength and biding their time? Yemen
EU leadership divided over settlements According to Israeli Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, the president of the European Parliament opposes labeling settlement products, despite the official EU position. Palestine
Turkey gives mixed signals on Syria Pro-Erdogan media drums support for an invasion of Syria, but military experts say this is not feasible. Syria
Is Turkey doing enough to protect its Protestants? Turkey's small Protestant community feels threatened not only by detractors, but also by the Islamic State, and lacks government protection against either. Turkey
Airbus deal takeoff irks Iranian hard-liners While welcomed by many Iranians, President Hassan Rouhani’s trip to Europe, which involved extensive deal making, has triggered a backlash among hard-liners in Iran. Iran
Is Abbas spinning his wheels by meeting with Israelis? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has had numerous meetings with various Israeli delegations in hopes of resuming the peace talks stalled since 2014. Palestine
Will Sudan side with Egypt in Renaissance Dam dispute? Ambassador Mohamed Orabi, chairman of the parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, speaks about the disputed Halayeb and Shalateen regions and the Renaissance Dam. Egypt
Redefining cinema in Egypt Some heavy-hitters in Egypt's cinema world have helped create a home for independent movies. Egypt
Will French carmakers rev up Iran’s auto industry? The Rouhani administration focuses on forging partnerships with international carmakers to boost Iran’s embattled automotive sector. Iran
Rouhani calls for more Iranian women to 'lean in' to politics Iranian President Hassan Rouhani encourages women to become more involved in politics and culture. Iran
