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 pushes for constitutional committee amid uncertainty over Idlib As a military campaign on Idlib looms uncertain, Russia, Turkey and Iran make progress on a constitutional committee in Geneva. Syria
Turkey's Central Bank defies Erdogan, hikes interest rates Despite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's vehement opposition to raising interest rates, the country's Central Bank took the move today that economists say is long overdue to address alarming inflation. Turkey
Erdogan makes himself ‘czar of the economy’ Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to take the helm of Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund compounds misgivings over an institution that holds the country’s key public assets, but is already mired in controversy for lack of transparency and public supervision. Turkey
Iran missile strike opens door to escalation with Kurdish armed groups An Iranian missile attack on Iranian Kurdish fighters in Iraqi Kurdistan has raised the risk of intensified fighting in western Iran while heightening the chances of localized confrontations taking on an international dimension. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Ahmadinejad’s right-hand man sentenced to prison The sentencing of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei may be the final blow to former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regaining his spot in the limelight. Iran
Egypt intensifies diplomatic efforts to resume stalled talks over Ethiopia dam As Ethiopia admits to financial and administrative obstacles hindering the completion of the Renaissance Dam, Cairo is stepping up diplomatic efforts to complete the stalled negotiations to reduce the risk of the dam to Egypt's water security. Egypt
Ankara oddly quiet on China's alleged torture of Uighurs The Turkish public used to speak out loudly and often against suppressive Chinese policies against Uighur Turks, but now the media, the public and the government are keeping mum. Turkey
Kurds step up efforts to form self-government in northeast Syria The Syrian Democratic Council is forming an autonomous-area administration in parts of northern Syria controlled by US-backed Kurds and holding talks with the Syrian regime. Syria
Turkish-supported public services flourish in Euphrates Shield area The Turkish government has helped the local council in al-Bab to set up a plant to refill propane cylinders and Jarablus to build its first central bus station. Syria
Egypt tightens screws on Hamas with threat to close Rafah crossing Hamas wants to resume mass demonstrations along Israel's border to attract international attention to Gaza, but doing so threatens to unleash harsh Israeli and Egyptian reprisals. Palestine
More international artists join Israel boycott As Israeli politicians do their best to ignore international condemnation of the occupation, perhaps Israelis will hear the voices of artists like Lana Del Rey as the cultural boycott builds. Palestine
Sistani calls for nominating new faces for next prime minister As Haider al-Abadi's chances to serve a second term decline due to the bloody protests in Basra, Iraqi politicians are looking for a new face to head the new government. Iraq
