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
Ashoura puts Iranian politics in context The martyrdom of Imam Hussein permeates all aspects of Iranian life. Iran
AKP’s social media wars Has the Justice and Development Party (AKP) enlisted “social raiders” to take on its critics in the social media? Turkey
Netanyahu to 'roll out the red carpet' for Hollande The French position on the Iran nuclear talks has assured French President Francois Hollande a warm reception in Israel. Palestine
Turkey’s restart in regional and foreign energy policies Ankara is recasting its policies toward Cyprus, Israel, Azerbaijan and Iraq. Iraq
Turkey charts new course in Iraq Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's recent visit to Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala is the latest sign of a new, dual-track policy on Iraq that is endorsed by the United States. Egypt
Occupied Palestine marks 'Independence Day' The Palestinian Authority still celebrates Independence Day as declared by Yasser Arafat in 1988 despite there not being an independent Palestinian state. Palestine
Iraq: Oil companies tighten security following attack Following the Nov. 1 attack on the Ahdab oil field in southern Iraq, foreign oil companies operating in the country have tightened security measures while the government tries to ease concerns. Iraq
No end in sight for Gaza crisis Until Egypt is in a position to push through an internal Palestinian settlement, the crisis in Gaza is likely to continue. Palestine
House Intel Committee Chairman worried about bad deal on Iran Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, says Congress should pass further sanctions on Iran. Saudi Arabia
Human rights overlooked in nuclear talks While the UN negotiates with Iran over the country's nuclear program, human rights is not on the agenda Iran
Iran slows nuclear advances in possible goodwill gesture Taken together, Iran’s pledge of new cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the slowdown in its overall nuclear program could facilitate agreement next week in Geneva. Iran
Iranians embrace foreign cuisine Foreign restaurants in Tehran are thriving despite international sanctions. Turkey
