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
Alevis want back places of worship seized by Ataturk The return of Alevi places of worship could be a milestone in Turkey’s democracy. Turkey
Erdogan's endless legitimacy crisis Neither the ballot box nor a harsher regime seem to be able to rescue Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan from his current political troubles. Turkey
Baghdad Arab cultural festival brings message of peace Despite criticism of the celebration of Baghdad Capital of Arab Culture, the events, which were attended by a majority of Arab countries, left a positive impact on Iraq and conveyed a message of peace to the Arab peoples. Iraq
Gulenists use hate speech against Shiites, Iranians Turkey’s Gulenists, hostile to Iran and to Shiites, incite Sunnis to enmity and hatred against Shiites. Turkey
Egypt ban surprises Hamas Egypt's decision this week to ban Hamas activities has caught the Palestinian Islamist movement off guard, with concerns it's heading on a collision course with Cairo. Palestine
Iran’s four-part plan for a political solution in Syria The best approach to a political solution in Syria lies in addressing both the threat of international terrorism and the urgent humanitarian crisis, as well as a national and international process leading to a direct vote by the Syrian people, according to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian. Syria
Israeli officials believe Obama lacks resolve on Iran Israeli officials consider the Obama administration now as the weakest the United States has known in decades, and as the one that history will remember as having paved the way to a nuclear Iran. Israel
Iraq looks East in foreign policy As disputes between Iraq and the West seem to be on the rise, Baghdad is refocusing its efforts on the “East,” in particular Russia, China and Iran. Iraq
Dispute between Lebanese president, Hezbollah heats up As presidential elections approach in Lebanon, the dispute between President Michel Suleiman and Hezbollah over the latter’s intervention in Syria has intensified. Lebanon
Iraqi government fails to address rise in autism Despite signs of growing rates of autism in Iraq, there is little governmental interest in the topic, with no specialized centers for treating autistic children outside the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Iraq
Egypt’s Tamarod plagued by division The Egyptian Tamarod movement is witnessing divisions among its members, namely concerning the support of presidential candidates and the issue of turning the movement into a political party. Egypt
Rouhani seeks to turn around Iran's auto sector Despite President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's raising car import duties to 90%, domestic manufacturers have struggled with low-quality cars, resulting in high layoffs. Iran
