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
Legal discrimination in Israel spreads to utilities, local governance The Israel Electric Corporation's announcement that it will refrain from cutting off power for delinquent Jewish customers during the Jewish holidays marks another insidious ripple effect of the discriminatory nationality law. Israel
Does PA anti-terror plan aim to strangle Hamas financially? The Palestinian government says it recently approved the National Strategy for Combating Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing in a bid to protect the economy, but many believe the step targets Hamas directly. Palestine
Can Turkey mediate Russian-Ukrainian conflict on the Black Sea? President Erodogan has been on the phone with the Ukrainian, Russian and US presidents and has called for Ukraine and Russia to peacefully resolve their conflict. Turkey
Why Iran’s currency repatriation rules threaten rising exports Iranian exports have enjoyed a boost due to the weaker rial in recent months, but the country’s private sector says the mandatory currency repatriation mechanism devised by the central bank threatens legitimate exports. Iran
Turkey’s Kyrgyz colony struggles to keep traditional lifestyle alive In eastern Anatolia, a village of Kyrgyz resettled from Afghanistan has become an unlikely tourism hub and a fortress of Turkish nationalism. Turkey
Hard-liners face backlash for attempted impeachment of Zarif A group of hard-line lawmakers are seeking the impeachment of Iran's foreign minister on several grounds, including his assertion that money laundering is taking place in Iran. Iran
Will Erdogan, MBS meet at G-20? The Turkish president hasn't ruled out meeting with the Saudi crown prince in Argentina, but what could the de facto Saudi leader offer for Turkey to bury the Jamal Khashoggi murder case? Saudi Arabia
