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
Iraqi Women Victimized By Tribal Marriage Customs In patriarchal and tribal Iraq, thousands of women are forced into unwanted marriages with little to no legal recourse. Iraq
Oslo Accords, A Milestone In Rabin's Legacy Despite criticisms of the Oslo Accords, and the victims who have fallen on both sides since their signing 20 years ago, the agreement nonetheless opened the way for today's negotiations. Palestine
How Lucky Is Syria’s President? Bashar al-Assad knows that despite a brutal war, his allies have his back and his opposition is fractured — and also that the end of his regime does not mean the end of the war in Syria. Qatar
Turkish Alevis Refuse 'Sunnification' Shiites and Alevis in Turkey continue to struggle for rights and recognition. Turkey
A Death Provokes Anti-Government Protests in Turkey The Arab Alawite community of Antakya holds the government responsible for the unprecedented tensions in their once peaceful town after Ahmet Atakan’s death on Sept. 9. Turkey
Obama, Putin Acknowledge Limits of Power The Russian initiative concerning Syria gives the international community a little breathing room to effect a realistic resolution to the conflict. Lebanon
The 'Admiral' Heads Iran’s National Security Council Former Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani is the first Iranian of Arab descent appointed to the position of secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. Iran
Israel Will Pay for Obama’s Hesitancy On Syria Israel should expect little in return for its support of US President Obama's policies on Syria. Israel
Israelis Question Obama Response To 'Smoking Gun' in Syria Senior Israelis wonder what it means for US policy toward Iran that US President Barack Obama did not act on a "smoking gun" in Syria. Israel
Russian Initiative Offers Hope Of Breakthrough on Syria War Getting Syria to sign the Chemical Weapons Convention and give up its chemical weapons gives new hope for a surge in US-Russian diplomacy to end the war in Syria. Syria
Putin Wins Big in Syria, With Assist From Obama President Barack Obama's threat to use force against the Syrian chemical arsenal paved the way for the initiative by Russian President Vladimir Putin and maybe a solution. Israel
Rouhani Deals With Ahmadinejad's Economic Legacy The success of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s economic reforms will ultimately depend on international sanctions relief. Iran
