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
Netanyahu weighs collapse of peace talks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must manage a right-wing coalition that has no interest in a release of Palestinian prisoners to keep the peace talks going. Palestine
Jerusalem’s water crisis Because Israeli authorities are neglecting East Jerusalem residents by failing to ensure a constant water supply, both Israelis and Palestinians have to cooperate on water management as a pollution catastrophe nears. Palestine
Online company offers discreet condoms to Lebanon Yalla Condoms is selling contraceptives and other products over the Internet, saving its customers embarrassing trips to the drugstore in progressive Lebanon, where sexual taboos still linger. Lebanon
Hamas, Jordan probe possibility of better ties Cut off from Egypt, Hamas hopes improved ties with Jordan will help it emerge from isolation. Palestine
Egypt tries to woo South Sudan in Nile water dispute Egypt is seeking to develop ties with South Sudan as its relations with Ethiopia and Sudan deteriorate over the distribution of Nile water. Egypt
Erdogan: political enemies will 'pay the price' Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who saw the polls as a means of vindicating himself from corruption accusations, appears to be declaring war on the Gulen movement. Turkey
Syrian Kurds blame Iran, Turkey for ISIS attacks Syria's main Kurdish force, the Democratic Union Party, says that the ISIS battle with Syrian Kurdish groups is benefiting the Syrian government. Iraq
Russia considers natural gas expansion in North Africa, Near East Russia sees potential for LNG expansion in the Middle East. United Arab Emirates
The twilight of Maariv in Israel The Israeli daily Maariv, currently on life support, was once "the most widely read paper in the country." Israel
Why Turkey’s elections may not matter Today’s election may have less of an effect in Turkey than many think, as electoral upsets have been relatively rare and their consequences limited. Turkey
Turkey a 'political war zone' on eve of elections Turkey's leaders look to Syria as a distraction from the latest domestic political crisis; the US Congress considers new sanctions on Hezbollah; Al-Monitor expands coverage of Russia and the Middle East. Syria
Netanyahu and Abbas are not Begin and Sadat Documents released from Israel's State Archives this week on the Israel-Egypt peace negotiations reveal the commitment of both leaders to achieve such an agreement, unlike current negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Palestine
