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 Russia's economic restrictions on Turkey backfire? Some worry Turkey’s losses from an angry Russia could reach $20 billion, but others expect the figure to be much lower and point out that Russia’s losses will be no less painful. Turkey
Jerusalem Copts hope new bishop brings renewed support The small Egyptian Christian community in Jerusalem was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by a visit from Pope Tawadros II. Palestine
With the Islamic State gone from Sinjar, Kurdish groups battle for control After Sinjar was liberated from the Islamic State, a new conflict arose among Kurdish parties as to who should administer the area. Iraq
Syrian war redraws country's economic map The Syrian war is not only breaking apart the country’s social cohesion, but also its economic unity. Syria
Is Netanyahu the 'great gas robber'? Appearing before the Knesset’s Economic Affairs Committee, Benjamin Netanyahu avoided answering questions before pulling out the national security card to defend the current natural gas outline. Egypt
Food trucks idle in Israeli bureaucracy The Israeli authorities are maintaining barricades on the route of businesses hoping to bring the trendy and profitable food trucks concept to Tel Aviv. Israel
House panel approves peshmerga bill that Baghdad deems 'unwise and unnecessary' The House Foreign Affairs panel voted to directly arm Kurdish forces. Iraq
Why are Egypt's advanced degree holders protesting? While some believe that there is no need to appoint master’s and doctoral degree holders in Egypt’s state institutions, others argue the state must benefit from their academic education. Egypt
EU, Iran relationship heats up The European Union has created an Iran Task Force to facilitate the implementation of the nuclear deal, develop relations and build a framework for regional cooperation. Iran
'Corruption on earth' brings death penalty in Iran Iranian member of parliament Ahmad Tavakoli is skeptical that the removal of sanctions will address economic problems in Iran. Iran
Bloodshed stokes Kurdish separatist sentiment Ankara’s draconian security crackdowns, marked by dozens of civilian deaths, have left many Kurds wondering whether they should give up their struggle for rights and seek independence. Turkey
Ankara's Mosul miscalculation Even Turkmens are unhappy with Turkey’s moves in Mosul, and Ankara may have made a serious misjudgment. Iraq
