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 avoids claims of 'hostage' crisis in Iraq The Turkish government is trying to downplay the ISIS detention of diplomats in Mosul. Turkey
FIFA to monitor Israeli violations against Palestinian soccer The international soccer federation has not sanctioned Israel for its violations against Palestinian soccer, instead giving a committee until December to monitor developments. Palestine
We can read your emails, says Iran’s intelligence minister Iran's intelligence minister has said that in the effort to fight terror, his ministry has access to the electronic communications of individuals suspected of links to terrorists. Iran
Netanyahu wrong to blame Abbas for kidnapping Israel should rethink its Palestinian prisoner detention policy. Palestine
Israel's old-guard party bosses in decline Israeli politics is undergoing a cleanup process, in which veteran Likud and Labor seniors find themselves out of the game, while new players, such as former minister Moshe Kahlon and ministers Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett form the new political map. Israel
Fatah leader on kidnappings: 'Everyone is in big trouble now' In an interview with Al-Monitor, senior Fatah official Fares Qadura warns of escalation, saying that everyone knows that Israel will not negotiate a prisoners exchange for the three kidnapped youths. Palestine
Arab startups connect with Silicon Valley Some of the Middle East's fastest growing companies visited the United States in search of advice and inspiration. Lebanon
Sistani stresses need for unity over sectarianism in battle for Iraq Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani stresses the need for Iraqis to support the army and avoid sectarianism in battling the current Sunni rebellion sweeping the country. Iraq
Hamas denies role in kidnapping The group's leaders, however, anticipate a severe confrontation with Israel. Palestine
Financial sector spurs Turkish economic growth Europe’s rising demand for Turkish exports is considered a positive sign for Turkey's economic forecast. Turkey
Car accidents kill more Yemenis than violence Poor infrastructure is largely to blame for the more than 2,000 yearly deaths on Yemen’s roads. Yemen
Three reasons Lebanon fears ISIS advance The Lebanese are concerned that their country may be the next target of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham. Iraq
