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
Iran moves closer to reinstating Zoroastrian city councilor Iran’s Expediency Council is inching closer to reinstating an elected Zoroastrian member of a city council after a controversial suspension over his faith. Iran
Erdogan son-in-law takes Finance Ministry post with promises, hush orders Turkey’s newly re-elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promoted his son-in-law in law to finance minister among other steps to tighten control over the country's economic policies. Turkey
Egypt's dwindling Jewish community struggles to maintain its heritage The leader of Egypt's tiny Jewish community has plans to make sure the country's long Jewish heritage outlives her by expanding synagogues into cultural centers and libraries. Egypt
US administration silent on Israel's occupation policy Contrary to former US administrations, President Donald Trump accepts Israel's ongoing occupation and settlement policies without requiring concessions for the Palestinians. Palestine
Israeli right dreams of third temple in Jerusalem Israeli right-wing politicians resumed visits to the Temple Mount after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled the ban on Knesset members visiting the site. Palestine
Billion dollar debt, heat wave push Iran to cut electricity to Iraq Iran has cut off electricity supplies to Iraq amid increased consumption during a hot spell and reports of massive accrued debt by Baghdad, sparking a wave of protests in central and southern Iraqi regions. Iraq
Manbij holds the key to improved Turkish-US ties Ankara is worried the United States and Russia may be working on a deal in Syria that will be to Turkey's disadvantage. Syria
Why Putin won’t throw Iran under the bus in Syria Despite speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin may sacrifice Iran's interests in his upcoming summit with US President Donald Trump, Russian policy appears geared toward gaining concessions from the Americans without going beyond Iran’s red lines in Syria. Syria
Egypt rejects EU plan to force refugees into camps The debate over the European Union’s plan to set up centers for migrants in North Africa and the Middle East has been rekindled in Egypt, where officials reiterated their rejection of such centers. Egypt
Turkey clinches deal to sell 4 warships to Pakistan After failing to find buyers in Middle East, Turkey's defense industry takes a major step forward by selling four corvettes to Pakistan. Turkey
Erdogan assumes office, vast new powers Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become the country's first executive president, and his first order of business seems to be building global legitimacy for himself and his "New Turkey." Turkey
Israel prepares for Assad’s return to the border Israeli security experts claim that the return of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the Golan Heights is not necessarily bad news for Israel. Israel
