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
Russia, Germany at loggerheads over Idlib Germany has recently engaged with the United States, the UK and France to take a stronger stance on Syria. But as Chancellor Merkel encounters strong domestic opposition on potential military action in Syria, the significance of engaging with Russia increases. Syria
Iraqi Kurds stuck between Iran, US The Iraqi Kurds are worried about the US-Iran rivalry in Iraq, as it will weaken their position in the country more than ever before. Iraq
Washington ramps up diplomatic efforts to stave off Idlib operation The new US Syria diplomatic team ramps up diplomacy as it tries to bolster Turkish and European efforts to avert assault on Idlib. Syria
Low-income Turks take early crisis blows Turkey’s economic turmoil is already bruising millions of minimum wage earners, who are grappling with a flurry of price hikes and the prospect of losing jobs. Turkey
Iraq's Abadi under fire from pro-Iran political factions Pro-Iranian factions within Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units are taking advantage of the bloody events in Basra to prevent the prime minister from winning a second term, accusing him of being under US influence. Iraq
Mai Masri, daughters pledge to keep alive Jean Chamoun’s film legacy Jean Chamoun and Mai Masri devoted their cinema careers to the Palestinian cause. A year after Chamoun's death, Masri has started work on a new script for a feature film. Palestine
Al-Azhar includes women in public discussion of harassment, rights For the first time, Al-Azhar’s newspaper published the photos of unveiled women on the front page of an edition devoted to women's issues. Egypt
Why is Egypt canceling T-bond auctions? For the second time this year, the Egyptian government canceled the sale of treasury bonds after banks demanded higher interest rates. Egypt
Palestinian Interior Ministry to regulate private security firms The Palestinian government is now regulating private security companies in the West Bank, seeking consistency among them and implementing basic requirements for them to receive licenses. Palestine
Why Iranians are lured by Georgian delights Iranians from different walks of life seek investment opportunities and residency in Georgia, thinking it would be a gateway to Europe — but is it that easy? Iran
Top general claims IDF not ready for war According to IDF Ombudsman Yitzhak Brick, the Israeli military has invested most of its resources in the air force while neglecting the land corps, leaving Israel vulnerable to Hezbollah. Israel
Why demolishing West Bank village will cost Israel dearly Europe is warning Israel that demolishing Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin-Palestinian village, will constitute a war crime and lead to demands for financial compensation for facilities there provided by its members. Palestine
