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
Will Iran's economy collapse? The best remedy for Iran to solve its economic crisis is greater transparency and a focus on technocratic remedies. Iran
Congress seeks uptick in North Africa operations The House Homeland Security panel chief wants to boost funding for counterterrorism in the Sahara region. North Africa
What’s next for Turkey following Erdogan’s election win? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has officially won re-election, though his ruling party missed a parliamentary majority by a hair. Turkey
Rouhani under fire amid second day of protests in Iran Protests against rising prices and a decline in the value of currency have erupted in Iran for a second day in a row, closing the Tehran bazaar. Iran
Long road to justice for Yazidis who escaped IS Yazidi women who were once held captive by the Islamic State still struggle to have their voices heard in Iraqi courtrooms, where their captors are being tried. Iraq
Egyptian artist portrays soccer stars as saints Proud Egyptians have been putting the faces of their soccer team on everything from T-shirts to Ramadan lanterns, but when an artist decided to paint them as saints, all hell broke loose. Egypt
Erdogan still faces uphill battle despite electoral victory Turkey’s turn toward a blend of political Islam and ultra-nationalism is unlikely to help improve ties with the West. Turkey
Transparency-hungry Turkey eyes blockchain The Turkish Informatics Foundation has launched a platform to promote and support the development of blockchain technologies for use in everything from banking and law to public opinion polls and elections. Turkey
Palestinians cheer US exit from UN Human Rights Council The US withdrawal from the UN's Human Rights Council has given some Palestinians hope for a stronger pro-Palestinian European role without the United States to hold it back. Palestine
Netanyahu seemingly unfazed by wife's fraud indictment For the time being, the indictment of Sara Netanyahu for fraud and breach of trust has not damaged the popularity of her husband, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, among Israelis. Israel
Syrian opposition has high hopes for US-Turkish road map for Manbij The US-Turkish road map for Manbij has entered the second of three phases, leading some to believe it might spare the area further bloodshed. Syria
Erdogan declares victory in historic Turkish vote President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a strong mandate with more than 53% of the vote in an election that cements his legacy as Turkey’s most powerful leader in decades. But his main rival has refused to concede, saying it was too early to say Erdogan had won outright. Turkey
