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
Fast Food in Qom's Hidden Half Fast-food restaurants in Iran's religious city of Qom have become a space for younger and less conservative citizens to relax. Iran
Is Turkey Backpedaling on Syria? Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc has signaled that Turkey hasn't fully decided to join the coalition of the willing against the Syrian regime. Syria
Is There a Plan For Day After Military Strike? As the world awaits a potential Western military strike on Syria, the results and repercussions of such a strike would largely depend on the plan or vision to be implemented the day after. Lebanon
Tamarod Calls for Protest Against Hamas in Gaza The Palestinian Tamarod movement has set the date of Nov. 11 for a mass protest against Hamas' rule of the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Maliki to Run for Third Term Following Court Decision A Federal Supreme Court decision in Iraq has paved the way for standing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to run for a third term of office. Iraq
Egypt Economy Continues Downward Trend Despite significant Gulf aid, Egypt's economic indicators continue to point in the wrong direction. Egypt
Iraqi Politicians Mobilize Followers Through Feasts Given the tribal nature of Iraqi society, politicians often must seek the support of large clans to ensure success in elections. Iraq
Will a Rafsanjani Be Tehran's Next Mayor? Tehran's next mayor will be following large personalities who filled that position and will need to address many of Tehran's urban issues. Iran
Turkey’s Kurds Seek Forgiveness For 1915 Armenian Tragedy Turkey’s Kurds are taking responsibility for their role in the mass killings of Ottoman Armenians in 1915. Turkey
What Is Behind Success Of Tehran Stock Exchange? The Tehran Stock Exchange has been a success in an otherwise stagnant economy. Iran
Obama Stuns Israel With Delay on Syria Strike The US president's decision to seek congressional approval to strike Syria has caught Israel and its security establishment by surprise. Israel
Palestinian Women Hope To Gain Divorce Rights Activists are pushing for Gaza to join the West Bank in an initiative that will allow women to divorce without their husbands' permission. Palestine
