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
Judiciary warns Iran media over corruption coverage The Iranian judiciary has warned Iranian media outlets about their coverage of ongoing corruption cases, saying that prosecutors have been ordered to pursue media organizations that break the law. Iran
Sudan restates claim to disputed territory with Egypt Sudan recently announced it was including the disputed Halayeb area as an electoral district for its elections in 2015, proving a setback to Egypt-Sudan relations that were gradually improving after Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s election as president. Egypt
Iraqi poets en route to Baghdad to spread peace A group of Iraqi poets have organized an anti-violence convoy that will go through several Iraqi provinces, where intellectuals will read poetry in public spaces to promote peace and unity in the country. Iraq
Erdogan's Syria policies spark riots in Kurdish cities Turkey’s Syria policies spark massive protests in Kurdish cities, with at least 30 protesters killed; no relief for Syrians in Homs and Aleppo; Jabhat al-Nusra attacks Hezbollah in Lebanon. Lebanon
Iraqi book festival draws thousands People came from various Iraqi provinces to attend the "I’m Iraqi, I read books" festival in Baghdad, as Iraqis show determination to combat the forces of terror. Iraq
Can P5+1 formula work for Israel, Palestinians? While Palestinian officials partially welcome the idea of a P5+1 framework for multilateral negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's associates count on the Americans to nip this idea in the bud. Palestine
Turkey slides into deeper isolation over Syria Turkey’s Western allies are increasingly frustrated with its attempts to direct the US-led military coalition’s focus from the Islamic State to the Syrian regime, while Russia and Iran are openly opposing Turkey’s attempts to establish a buffer zone. Syria
Egyptian activists fear new penalties for foreign funding Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has issued a presidential decree increasing punishment for groups receiving foreign funding in the context of counterterrorism, but activists fear the new measures will target them. Egypt
Iraq should use IS war to rebuild foreign relations The war against the Islamic State provides Iraq with an opportunity to rebuild fractured relations with neighboring countries and others. Iraq
Asylum seekers pawns in political power struggle The Knesset and the government have a variety of ways to address the issue of African illegal immigrants short of jailing them without trial, but the right wing prefers to use them to attack the judiciary. Israel
Egypt's disabled marginalized by government The situation of disabled Egyptians is not improving and may further deteriorate with the prime minister’s decision to affiliate the National Council for Disability Affairs with the Ministry of Social Solidarity. Egypt
Iran nuclear negotiator says talks may be extended once more Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, one of Iran's nuclear negotiators, has said that if the next round of nuclear talks do not make progress, a final deal by the Nov. 24 deadline will not be possible and another extension may be needed. Iran
