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
Turkey hits jackpot by privatizing gambling Turkey’s government has decided to privatize all games of chance, driven both by religious motives and financial woes. Turkey
Lapid could end up paying for the price of pudding The public outcry over the price of chocolate pudding snacks should signal to Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that socioeconomic issues will dominate the agenda of the next elections. Israel
Assad, not Islamic State, in Ankara’s crosshairs Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is trying to convince Washington that the real enemy is the Syrian regime, but appears to be failing to do so as the US-led coalition keeps its focus on the Islamic State. Syria
Egypt’s youth 'have had enough' Though many of the youth leaders who participated in the 2011 revolution are in prison, youth-driven political campaigns will continue under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt
Reformist analyst: Rouhani has no strategy Prominent former Iranian politician Ebrahim Asgharzadeh has said that one of the main issues of President Hassan Rouhani's administration is the lack of a strategy to implement his stated political goals. Iran
Can PKK transform military might into political power? As regional developments open new military and political arenas to the PKK, it is unlikely that the Turkish peace process will end with the Kurds disarming. Iraq
The facts about buying land in Jerusalem's latest settlement Despite condemnation from the United States and other countries, Israel is forging ahead with its plan to disrupt the Palestinian urban continuum in the Jerusalem area, while preventing the sale of real estate to non-Jews. Palestine
Ya'alon misses lessons of Yom Kippur War The current Israeli administration, like that of former Prime Minister Golda Meir, prefers to trust in its military superiority and manage the conflict with the Palestinians instead of resolving it. Israel
Israel, Hezbollah recalibrate mutual deterrence The deterrence established between Israel and Hezbollah over the past eight years along with Hezbollah joining the fight against IS might open the way to quiet understandings between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel
Syrian Kurdish refugees struggle to find affordable housing The violence in Iraq has prompted many Syrian Kurdish refugees who took refuge in northern Iraq to return to their homes in Syria. Iraq
Syrian army closes in on Douma after Adra victory Syrian regime forces have scored an important victory by securing the strategic town of Adra in the Damascus countryside, increasing pressure on rebel strongholds in eastern Ghouta. Syria
Iraqi scholar burns his books to protest Yazidi ethnic cleansing A well-known Iraqi scholar on Yazidis has burned all the books in his personal library to protest the ethnic cleansing of the minority group. Iraq
