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
Jordan Jittery as Assad Troops Advance The Syrian government’s victory at Qusair has forced Jordan to reconsider its more calculated policy toward Syria. Jordan
Syrian Opposition Divided Over Geneva II Conference While the Syrian government and the internal opposition are ready to seek a political solution, the external opposition is refusing to attend Geneva II. Syria
Russia Enlists Syrian Kurds For Geneva II The Supreme Kurdish Council of Syria is ready to participate in the Geneva II conference. Syria
Erdogan Not Yielding to Protesters Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is determined to go ahead with his plan of building the Ottoman Artillery Barracks at Taksim Square. Turkey
Will Erdogan Choose to Fight? Signals from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan raise concerns that he will be hardening his stand. Turkey
US Still Believes 'Business With Bibi Is Possible' The US seems to believe that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not the main obstacle to peace. Palestine
Rebuilding Israel's Temple Mount For hundreds of Israelis, the task of renewing the Temple at "its original place," has become a life mission. Israel
Israel's 'Victory' in Six-Day War Was a Loss After the Six Day War, 46 years ago this week, Israeli occupation should not be seen as a victory but a loss. Palestine
For Hezbollah, What is VictoryIn Syria? Hezbollah grapples with the long-term objectives and consequences of its intervention in Syria. Lebanon
Is Turkey Heading Toward Civil War? The risk of deepening social unrest hovers over Turkey as the prime minister refuses to acknowledge the grievances of demonstrators. Turkey
Iraq Looks to Foreign Investment To Boost Oil Capacity Technip, a French company, has been awarded a major refining contract in Iraq. Iraq
