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's Salafists switch allegiance to IS As militant alliances continue to shift, Jordan's strategic stance on Salafist groups has become ever more complex. Iraq
Istanbul Film Festival rejects PKK documentary The Turkish Ministry of Culture is facing strong protests from the film industry over its censorship of Kurdish themes. Turkey
KRG looks to enhance protection of women, children Kurdish activists and government agencies have submitted draft laws to amend the law on domestic violence but critics question whether it will be enforced. Iraq
Kahlon to focus on socio-economics, not diplomacy Having won 10 Knesset seats, Kulanu head Moshe Kahlon plans to focus on social justice issues and will not push the Netanyahu government toward renewing negotiations with the Palestinians. Israel
Libya looks to Russia for arms Disillusioned with the West, the Libya government is exploring opportunities in Russia and says it is willing to accept limited participation by Islamists that agree to play by the rules. Legacy: Gulf
Palestine’s empty breadbasket The Jordan Valley, once considered Palestine’s most fertile area, has been taken over by Israeli settlers who have barred Palestinians from using the land. Palestine
Restitution of Armenian property remains unresolved Some Turkish scholars have documented that the expropriation of Armenian property was a systematic and integral part of the genocide that began in 1915. Turkey
MIT gun truck bust lands Turkish gendarmes in prison Turkish gendarmes arrested and prosecuted for stopping and searching trucks — which were chartered by Turkish intelligence — feel they are unfairly prosecuted for obeying orders. Turkey
Tainted Russian wheat resurfaces in Egypt The dangerously low-quality wheat imported from Russia that plagued Egypt during the Mubarak era has returned to the country, which recently identified 25,000 tons destined for Egyptian bread. Egypt
Why does Netanyahu really want to sabotage the Iran deal? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempt to introduce non-nuclear-related demands in the negotiations with Iran is being dismissed as lacking credibility. Palestine
What's Rafsanjani's political future? Rafsanjani's comments about the situation in Iran's prisons resulted in unprecedented criticisms and may have cemented his political isolation. Iran
Iran's housing bubble Housing prices in Iran have significantly dropped since mid-2013, most notably in Tehran, where pollution and traffic cause families to move to the suburbs and countryside, while young urbanites seek smaller housing units. Iran
