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 Iran's nuclear diplomacy lead to regional solutions? Will progress on regional issues be achieved if Iran's role in the region is recognized? Iran
Al-Monitor announces support for Syria's out-of-school children Al-Monitor is partnering with international agencies and donors to help provide educations to displaced Syrian children. Syria
Zawahri and Jerusalem Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, in a new audio message following a classic pattern, lauds Palestinian attacks in Jerusalem and calls on followers to attack Israel's international backers to hasten the fall of the Jewish state. Palestine
Why these ultra-Orthodox Jews support the Palestinian cause The ultra-Orthodox Neturei Karta faction would rather live under Palestinian rule, while the mainstream ultra-Orthodox community believes that the Zionist state is essential for the Jewish people’s survival. Israel
IRGC head warns of 'sedition' post-nuclear deal The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Ali Jafari, warned that the United States will use the post-nuclear deal climate in Iran to gain influence in the country. Iran
Russian, Israeli jets share Syrian skies ... for now Russia's military involvement in Syria is testing its relations with Israel and the determination of both countries to avoid a conflict. Israel
The Israeli justice minister's 'transparency law' Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked's transparency bill is actually aimed at delegitimizing left-wing NGOs and damaging their ability to operate, and helps her score points with her supporters as well, as these NGOs by law already have to submit the requested data. Israel
Analyzing Turkey's election 'earthquake' Turkey’s election results surprised even the AKP brass, while the MHP and HDP lost considerable ground. Turkey
Turks divided over plans to introduce Arabic-language teaching Turkey's Ministry of National Education has announced that Arabic courses will be offered to students starting in second grade, prompting some to call this an attempt to "assassinate secularism." Turkey
Iran sees 'battle of the brands' as US franchises look to enter Bootlegs of American franchises in Iran may very well fall victim of the nuclear deal as Western companies consider expanding their businesses there. Iran
How the Islamic State is looking to capitalize on Israeli-Palestinian unrest The Islamic State's recent threats against Israel could be designed just to gain support among Palestinians. Palestine
Could desalination solve Gaza's water woes? The Gaza Strip is in dire need of a seawater desalination project, in light of a severe water shortage and the depletion of the only freshwater source. Palestine
