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
Did Israel nix Russian deal on Iran-backed forces in Syria? Putin intensifies diplomacy with Israel and Turkey, as Iran adjusts its Syria policy after Helsinki; Damascus and Syrian Kurds keep talking; Al-Monitor breaks story on costs of US Embassy in Jerusalem. Syria
Is Russia a better fit than the EU to help relieve Iran from sanctions? While Iran would prefer EU help when it comes to relief from US sanctions, Moscow might be better suited to this role than Europeans. United States
Is Turkey refusing to register new Syrian refugees? Istanbul denies claims from Human Rights Watch that Turkey has stopped registering Syrian refugees. Syria
Israeli lawmaker in uphill battle to rein in local corruption Knesset member Roy Folkman heads a not very popular battle against corruption in local politics. Israel
Russia-Turkey ties face 'moment of truth' over Syria's Idlib Presidents Putin and Erdogan met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg to discuss growing tensions over Idlib, where Russia and Turkey may be facing their moment of truth. Turkey
Iranian Sunni leader makes appeal to Iraq's top Shiite cleric Iran’s prominent Sunni leader, Molavi Abdul Hamid, sent a letter to Iraqi Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani requesting that he act as a mediator between Iran's Sunni community and the government. Iraq
Explosions at arms depot dent peshmerga's confidence in leadership Recent explosions at several weapons and ammunition depots have deepened mistrust between rank-and-file peshmerga forces and their leadership in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Iraq
Iranian teenage dancer's arrest sparks backlash as tolerance for radicalism drops The backlash in the wake of Iran’s arrest of an Iranian teenage girl for posting dance clips on social media highlights significantly reduced tolerance for hard-liner excesses among the public. Iran
Iran's president mired in palace intrigue amid rising US pressure While fighting US pressure as well as radicals at home, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani is mired in a rivalry within his own inner circle. Iran
Israeli protesters seek return to destroyed West Bank settlements Settlers are now demanding to cancel the disengagement out of four West Bank settlements destroyed in the framework of the 2005 Gaza withdrawal. Palestine
Israeli Druze feel abandoned over new Nationality Law The Israeli Druze community feels that the Nationality Law turns them into second-class citizens, ignoring their loyalty and contribution to the state. Israel
Egypt launches massive wind farm Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi launched several projects, including one of the largest wind farms in the world, which experts say will help the country overcome its crippling power crisis. Egypt
