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
Syria's increasingly congested skies In addition to warplanes over Syria, cruise missiles are now carving out airspace. Syria
Grew up Kurdish, forced to be Turkish, now called Armenian When loose-talking Turkish officials toss around the word "Armenian" like it's a slur, they incite further hatred toward minorities. Turkey
Russian market huge disappointment for Turkey Turkey’s hopes of replacing European countries as a major food exporter to Russia have been dashed. Turkey
Could Saudi-Iraqi ties be key to defeating Islamic State? As both Iraq and Saudi Arabia are threatened by the same enemy — that is, extremist groups — the two countries ought to build positive relations for the good of the region. Saudi Arabia
Hamas turns blind eye to Fatah’s military activities in Gaza Fatah-affiliated militias are operating in Gaza to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ displeasure and with no restrictions from Hamas, which says it welcomes every contribution to an armed resistance against Israel. Palestine
Syrian Kurdish leader: Moscow wants to work with us A senior leader in the PYD is in Washington seeking more military support and expressing ambivalence about Russia’s latest intervention. Syria
Iran key player in global war on drugs It is time for the world to engage with Tehran to assist its war on drugs, and to acknowledge Iran as an important player in combating the global illegal drug trade. Iran
Were missing Iranians arrested in Saudi Arabia? Some Iranian officials are speculating that the Iranians still missing after the hajj disaster may have been arrested as Iran continues to watch the Saudi investigation with distrust. Saudi Arabia
Israel must not impose views on US Jewish community Israel must take into account that the US Jewish community has "made peace" with the Democratic leadership in the Obama administration and in Congress. Israel
A different kind of intifada The sustainability and longevity of the current protests in Palestine seem dependent upon the continuation of violence and whether or not people manage to stay hopeful. Palestine
Descendants of Iraqi Jews preserve memories An unidentified bride and groom in a photo displayed at an Iraqi Jewish exhibit has been identified by the couple's son, explaining how their wedding photo ended up in Saddam Hussein’s cellar in Baghdad. Iraq
Coming days may see turning point in West Bank violence As long as the major Palestinian organizations resist taking the lead in the current wave of violence and Israel restrains itself, it is still possible to avoid another new intifada. Palestine
