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
Nonviolent Palestinian Protesters Fear Failure of Peace Talks The Palestinian activists who have been nonviolently demonstrating for years worry that the failure of current negotiations will entail a new intifada. Palestine
Syrian Kurds Reject SNC, Al-Qaeda Syrian Kurds prefer to keep their options open for autonomy in northern Syria. Syria
Will Hamas Re-Enter Iran's Orbit? Former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's fall may encourage Iran and Hamas to renew ties. Palestine
How the US Can Move Russia on Syria A concerted US effort to find a political settlement offers the opportunity to turn Russia against the Assad regime, even if the Geneva II conference fails. Syria
Turkey Between Interest Rates And Conspiracy Theories While Turkey was once praised as a "model" for the region, the recent economic woes facing Ankara and Erdogan’s insufficient response have shaken Turkey's perception in Arab countries. Lebanon
Iraqi Officials Divided Over Dinar 'Reset' Various bodies within the Iraqi government are debating the implications of a move to “reset” the national currency by deleting three zeros from it. Iraq
Helen Thomas Remembered Legendary journalist and proud Arab-American Helen Thomas is remembered by admirers and friends as a staunch advocate of the oppressed. Lebanon
Lebanon's Football Scandal Reflects Political Divide Lebanese athletics have been embroiled in numerous international sports scandals this year, with many officials and teams being arrested or banned from participating in tournaments. Lebanon
Likud Party Indifferent To Netanyahu's Peacemaking Despite the coming resumption of negotiations, Likud Party leaders expect little from the renewed talks. Palestine
Iraq Rebuilds Ties to Saudi Arabia After years of misunderstandings and tensions, relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia have begun to warm up. Iraq
Syrian Kurds Reassure Turkey The leading Syrian Kurdish group claims it is not seeking to break away from Syria as tensions escalate with Ankara. Syria
The Nour Party’s Perilous Gamble While backing the ouster of former President Mohammed Morsi may be a sign of political maturity, it is loaded with risks for Egypt’s Nour Party. Egypt
