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
Renewal of anti-terror law threatens human rights in Iraqi Kurdistan The Iraqi Kurdistan parliament has extended an austere law put in place to combat the Islamic State, raising serious concerns about human rights abuses and trials behind closed doors. Iraq
Egypt's activists fear social media law is anti-social Egypt's parliament passed a law allowing authorities to monitor social media to fight the spread of false news and rumors, but activists say the law is part of the government's attempt to crack down on freedom of speech. Egypt
Israeli legislators strip Arabic of official language status The Nationality Law, adopted this week, strips Arabic of its status as Israel’s second official language. Israel
Netanyahu’s Israel will know no peace Instead of acknowledging and adressing the miseries of the Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds it beneficial to prolong the conflict on the Gaza border. Palestine
Sanctions threaten Iran's dream of becoming Eurasian transport hub Lack of financing and the potential collapse of the nuclear deal threaten Iranian plans to complete the infrastructure necessary for the International North-South Transport Corridor. Regional
Soaring unemployment pushes Gaza’s tech sector forward Ever-rising unemployment in the Gaza Strip has pushed young Palestinians to explore the technological sector, which largely sidesteps the Israeli siege by conducting business online. Palestine
Turkey’s one-man regime denied confidence vote by markets The downturn in the Turkish economy looms as a major challenge for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as economic actors show little confidence in his new and sweeping powers and his selection of his son-in-law to manage the economy. Turkey
Tehran court lifts curtain on widespread corruption at bankrupted lender An Iranian court has shed further light on the extent of fraud at a bankrupt credit and financial institution, with former officials and local celebrities now dragged in. Iran
Erdogan wants more from Trump before Turkey will free pastor Though the US president's friendliness toward Turkey's president in Brussels raised hopes for the release of an American pastor charged with espionage, a Turkish court denied an appeal to free Andrew Brunson today. Turkey
Meet the new generation of Iranian hard-liners A young generation of hard-liners is beginning to challenge the old guard, taking tougher positions on political issues while being more open on cultural affairs. Russia
Abadi, Maliki seek alliance with Iraq's Kurds Nearly two months since Iraq's parliamentary election, the winning parties are still discussing an alliance to form the new government. Iraq
$42 million initiative launched to help small-scale Palestinian farmers Small farmers in the West Bank will soon benefit from a new agricultural project that aims at boosting economic growth. Palestine
