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
House Democrats prepare to take on Trump over Iran sanctions Democrats and advocacy groups are preparing to confront the Donald Trump administration about obstacles to humanitarian exemptions in the Iran sanctions regime. United States
Mohammed bin Salman's awful year King Salman will pay a price for standing by his son as 2018 has become the year it all went bad for the crown prince and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Despite difficulties, Russia optimistic about Syria's Constitutional Committee Though the UN has yet to confirm who will serve on Syria's Constitutional Committee, the Astana trio is optimistic about the committee's overall prospects, especially after the United States announced it will withdraw its troops from Syria. Syria
US diplomats shaken by Trump decision to exit Syria US President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to withdraw from Syria humiliates US envoys who have said the United States would maintain a presence indefinitely to prevent the return of the Islamic State and to counter Iran’s influence. Israel
Australia’s Jerusalem statement benefits no one Angering Palestinians and dissatisfying Israelis, the Australian declaration recognizing West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel contributes little to advancing peace. Palestine
Trump’s Syria pullout shakes up US Mideast policy The US president’s snap decision to withdraw 2,200 US troops from Syria will have an impact across the region. Syria
Iranian authorities under fire after deadly school blaze A fire at a primary school in the southeastern Iranian border town of Zahedan has killed at least four children, leaving the nation in grief as well as outraged over government negligence of some regions. Iran
Congress slams Trump on Syria pullout President Donald Trump wants to immediately begin withdrawing US troops from Syria, but Iran hawks in Congress aren’t having it. Syria
US to withdraw from Syria, leaving Kurdish allies to face Turkish offensive alone President Donald Trump tweeted that the war against Islamic State is over and his administration has confirmed American soldiers would leave Syria immediately, a significant diplomatic win for Turkey that follows US approval of a major weapons deal with Ankara. Syria
Why Turkey's performance artists take to streets Turkey’s best-known performance art work is the dignified immobility of a man at the height of the Gezi Park protests five years ago; many young artists have followed in his footsteps since. Turkey
Netanyahu tries postponing publication of Trump’s peace plan Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows that if President Donald Trump presents his regional peace plan before elections in Israel, he will have a hard time winning. Palestine
What made this Iranian TV host lose his job? A young state TV host is fired from his job after he criticized one of the most outspoken cinema critics of Iran. Iran
