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
Government losing control over veiling, says Khamenei adviser Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, also a member of the Iranian Parliament, believes that the government needs a united front to address the issue of veiling and recommended subsidies for factories that produce veils. Iran
Beilin calls Obama 'serious disappointment' on peace talks In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Minister Yossi Beilin blames the Americans for insisting on a final status agreement instead of working on interim arrangements like former President George W. Bush’s road map. Palestine
Is Egypt winning war on terror in Sinai? Egyptian military officials repeat statements that the Sinai Peninsula is under their complete control, but locals paint a different picture, as the war on terror continues. Egypt
Turkey’s Kurdish oil gamble Turkey’s sale of Iraqi Kurdish crude oil could backfire for Ankara and the Kurdistan Regional Government. Iraq
Lebanon needs new electoral law, then a president The core of the crisis of the Lebanese national pact is the absence of an electoral law that represents the sects fairly, especially the Christians. Lebanon
Palestinian media adjusts to reconciliation deal The divided Palestinian media has toned down its factional rhetoric in line with the reconciliation deal, but doubts remain about whether the new cordial atmosphere will stick. Palestine
Turkey cracks down on drug cartels Turkey's intense crackdown on narcotics operations is delivering serious blows to criminal enterprises associated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and European drug networks. Turkey
Iraqis' epidemic of mental illness Although statistics from international organizations indicate that mental illness is on the rise in Iraq, social stigma prevents patients from getting treated and students from studying psychology and psychiatry. Iraq
Israel should take Prince Turki's offer on Arab Peace Initiative Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud spoke in Brussels with retired Gen. Amos Yadlin about the Saudi initiative for ending the conflict, saying, "Israel has nuclear weapons. … The Arabs aren’t crazy. We want to talk peace." Saudi Arabia
Gezi resistance anniversary recalls impact on Turkey On the first anniversary of the Gezi revolt, the bottom line is that it failed to transform into a political movement, but did manage to transform Turkey. Turkey
Iran official: Revealing extent of corruption could cause 'social shock' Gholamali Jafarzadeh has said that details of the Iranian Parliament's investigation into Ahmadinejad-era corruption would cause a "social shock" and harm the government if it is made public. Iran
Hamas denies ISIS presence after Gaza jihadist killed in Syria A Palestinian jihadist militant fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) was killed last week in Syria, reflecting the rise of Salafist militants in Gaza, but Hamas remains adamant that the radical group does not exist in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
