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
Aleppo braces for major regime offensive The Syrian regime's successful takeover of the strategic town of Sfireh, south of Aleppo, has rebels worried that their gains in Aleppo will soon be reversed. Syria
Halfhearted welcome for the 'Voice of Kurdistan' Iconic Kurdish singer Sivan Perwer returns to Turkey after 37 years in exile, but is not warmly embraced by the people who grew up with his music. Turkey
'Rouhani moment' in announcing nuclear deal in Iran Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lauds the Iranian people for support of their “initial steps” in securing a first-step nuclear agreement. Iran
Egypt declares Turkish ambassador persona non grata The break in Egypt-Turkey ties is another sign of the failed policies of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Egypt
The Davutoglu charm offensive Despite some new messages from Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, a "reset" of Turkey’s foreign policy seems a stretch. Egypt
New party linked to Barzani makes play for Turkey’s Kurds KDP-Bakur, a group linked to Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani, has caused a stir with plans to become a formal party in Turkey. Turkey
Break in Turkey-Egypt relations deepens regional divide International mediation may be the next steps to rebuild trust among the countries of the region. Egypt
The lost promise of Turkey-Egypt relations Though Turkish-Egyptian relations have sunk to new lows with the reciprocal removal of ambassadors, ties between the two countries once promised economic and strategic development. Egypt
Kurdish militia aims to connect Kurdish enclaves in Syria Syria's central Kurdish militia attempts to garner enough support in northern Syrian to create a contiguous Kurdish zone. Syria
Turkey resets ties with US Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu boldly characterizes the relationship with Washington as "the backbone of Turkey’s foreign policy." Iraq
Should Reformists go conservative in parliamentary elections? As former Iranian Reformist presidential candidate Mohammad Reza Aref begins to form a broad coalition of Reformist groups, analysts and activists are taking public positions on what is the best strategy for Reformists to take over the parliament and aid President Hassan Rouhani's moderate policies. Iran
Water cooperation for a secure world The Blue Peace framework provides a new opportunity for cooperative approaches to the management of global water resources. Pan Arab
