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
Sadr Talks Big to US Ambassador While Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's popularity wanes, radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr looks to boost his own appeal with harsh words for the United States. Iraq
Gaza Suicides Rise As Living Conditions Deteriorate Hamas continues to dismiss Gaza's rising suicide rates as a result of a lack of religiosity in society. Palestine
Hamas, First Victim of Egypt Revolt Hamas will be the first group to pay a high price in the wake of Mohammed Morsi's and the Muslim Brotherhood's collapse in Egypt. Palestine
Iraqi Federal Court Delays Ruling on Term-Limit Law The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court has yet to rule on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's challenge of a term-limit law, which leads some to believe the court is awaiting the results of the 2014 elections. Iraq
Viability of Yemen’s New Political Parties Questioned In the wake of the 2011 revolution, the Yemeni political scene has witnessed the emergence of many new parties, yet it remains to be seen how viable and effective these new forces will be. Yemen
Morsi Defies Egyptian Military, Demonstrators President Morsi refuses to budge despite the pressure put on him by the military, protesters and President Obama. Egypt
Rouhani Considers New Approach To Syria While President-elect Hassan Rouhani will continue Iran’s steadfast support for the Syrian government, he may also be considering a diplomatic initiative for a transition involving both the Assad regime and the opposition. Iran
Israeli Knesset Member Calls For Boycotting Settlement Goods Tamar Zandberg, a young left-wing Knesset member from the Meretz Party, believes that her struggle against Israeli settlements preserves the legitimacy of a sovereign Israel in the international arena. Israel
LGBT Turks Seek to Capitalize On Gezi Good Will While record numbers participated in Turkey's annual LGBT pride parade, some still doubt whether this atmosphere will help them in their fight for acceptance. Turkey
Lebanon's Sectarian Fall As the Syrian conflict continues to rage, tensions are on the rise between Lebanese Sunnis and Shiites as a result of their affiliations with divergent Syrian groups. Lebanon
The Muslim Brotherhood Fights For Legacy, Not for Morsi The protests have shocked the Muslim Brotherhood into reconsidering its position in Egyptian society beyond whether President Mohammed Morsi stays or goes. Egypt
Turkey’s Syria Refugee Crisis Turkey struggles to handle an increasingly taxing Syrian refugee crisis. Turkey
