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
Northern Syria heats up as next likely US-Turkey flashpoint Despite speculation that Turkey and the United States might repair their tense relations now that one key issue is settled, an Erdogan adviser called Turkey's shelling east of the Euphrates River “a friendly message to the US.” Syria
Netanyahu needs Hamas to rule Gaza, not Abbas In order to preserve himself politically, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs an arrangement with Hamas. Palestine
Cairo bolsters bond with Moscow as US grows distant Egypt, feeling a chill in the air in Washington, is warming up to Russia. Palestine
Why this film has Iranian hard-liners breaking out in cold sweat More than 100 cinema halls across Iran, which belong to hard-line Hozeh Honari, have boycotted "Cold Sweat,” an award-winning film that tells the story of an Iranian futsal player who is banned from taking part in an international competition by her husband. Iran
Hamas visits Gaza schools to promote hijab Hamas' Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs has embarked on an ambitious project that sends female lecturers to all the universities and girls' schools across the Gaza Strip and persuade girls and young women to wear the hijab. Palestine
Israeli residents near Gaza abandoned by the government Israeli residents near Gaza are paying the price for the government’s lack of an effective policy on rocket fire from the Strip. Palestine
Will new Iraqi government resolve Baghdad-KRG issues? The peaceful formation of a new government in Iraq has raised hopes that the outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil might be resolved, but a number of obstacles stand in the way of it actually happening despite amicable relations among the countries leaders. Iraq
Democratic newcomers challenge pro-Israel status quo Three Democratic candidates willing to challenge the bipartisan orthodoxy on Israel are likely to win seats in Congress next year. Palestine
Intel: Why Turkey refuses to share Khashoggi evidence with Saudis Turkey holds evidence back from Saudi investigators as it tries to get Riyadh to extradite suspects and reveal the location of Khashoggi's body. Saudi Arabia
Hamas political, military leaderships disagree on Israel arrangement Hamas political and military branches disagree on whether the group should pursue an Egypt-mediated arrangement with Israel, or keep up the violent demonstrations near the border fence. Palestine
Why Iraqi Turkmens are excluded from the new government Iraqi Turkmens say they have been excluded from the new Iraqi government because they refuse to follow a sectarian approach to politics. Iraq
