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
The false promise of Mideast elections The coming presidential elections in Egypt, Syria and Turkey offer little hope for a regional trend toward stability and democracy. Palestine
The 'false empowerment' of female Knesset members? Young Israeli women do not consider female politicians as role models, since only few of them manage to break away from the men’s way of doing politics. Israel
Israeli film sows nostalgia among Iraqi Jews The Israeli film “Farewell Baghdad” explores the Jewish community in Iraq that was expelled from the country in the 1950s and 1960s, and has sparked feelings of nostalgia among Iraqi Jews. Iraq
Blix: Listen to Iran on 'practical needs' for nuclear program In an exclusive interview, Hans Blix, the former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, says that he understands Iran’s resistance to any restriction on research and development and that Iran should not be forced to use old centrifuge technology. Iran
Syrian girls forced to marry ISIS fighters The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham is forcing Syrian girls to marry its foreign fighters. Syria
War-weary Syrians see hope in Homs deal Syrian civilians, routinely shelled by regime forces and rebels, hope the Homs cease-fire is an indication of better times to come. Syria
What next for Turkey’s stock market? Having recovered in the wake of political turmoil, Turkey’s stock market appears on a downward trend in the short run. Turkey
Hezbollah evasive on presidential candidates Although Hezbollah has yet to name its preferred candidate for the Lebanese presidency, there are a number of requirements that a potential candidate must meet to gain the party’s endorsement. Lebanon
Khamenei adviser backs Iranian negotiators The supreme leader's foreign policy adviser, Ali Akbar Velayati, has declared his support for the current Iranian negotiators while criticizing the methods of the previous teams. Iran
Russia stakes out Iranian market Both Russia and Iran see a shared interest in deepening economic ties, parallel to the P5+1 talks. Russia
Netanyahu bids to postpone presidential elections Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's move to delay Israel's presidential elections is a transparent attempt to derail Knesset member Reuven Rivlin's campaign. Israel
Poverty in Gaza sustains used-clothing market Secondhand clothing sellers in Gaza see a steady increase in demand despite the social stigma. Palestine
