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
Iraqi army crippled by flaws Since its establishment, the Iraqi army has been directed inward, playing a domestic role rather than protecting the country from foreign forces. Iraq
Stocks plummet as Turkey names Gulenists top security issue Following the decision to add the Gulenist "parallel state" to its Red Book of national security priorities, companies with ties to the Gulen movement have suffered huge stock market losses. Turkey
Jon Stewart: My film not meant to demonize Iran "Rosewater," the first movie by "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart is being released 10 days before the deadline for an Iran nuclear deal and some Iran experts worry that critics of a deal may cite the human rights abuses depicted in the film to try to sabotage an agreement. Iran
Egypt’s Islamists try to distance themselves from IS As Egypt’s Islamist groups fail to take a common stance on domestic politics, they agree at least that the Islamic State is giving political Islam, as a movement, a bad reputation. Egypt
Hamas, Fatah trade accusations over Gaza bombings Fatah has accused Hamas of being behind a series of bombings targeting Fatah leaders in Gaza, while Hamas has accused former Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan of perpetrating the attacks. Palestine
Syria faces decisive battles in north, south Rebels are making gains in the south while government forces are closing on Aleppo city, and the outcomes of these battles may determine how final negotiations proceed. Syria
Iran negotiator thanks supreme leader for support In an interview, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has praised Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for supporting and guiding Iran's nuclear negotiators. Iran
Lebanon’s MPs extend own terms The recent decision of the Lebanese parliament to extend its term for another 31 months, without holding elections, might be a step to put the country under foreign tutelage. Lebanon
Turkey's border security problem Political factors are not the only cause of Turkey’s border security vulnerability. Countries
Newspaper close to Iran leader reacts to Obama’s letter Iranian newspaper Kayhan reports that US President Barack Obama's letter to Iran's supreme leader is a sign that the United States has reached a dead end in Iraq. Iran
UN envoy seeks cease-fire, end to 'carnage' in Aleppo Edward Dark writes from Aleppo that arming the Syrian opposition will prolong the war; Iran and Russia dig in on President Bashar al-Assad. Syria
Israel risks losing support from US, Europe The continued settlement policy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might drive the United States to reduce its diplomatic support of Israel, thus damaging its strategic security interests and ability to respond to security threats. Israel
