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
Haifa Arabs find their voice in standing with Gaza Haifa is witnessing a burgeoning Palestinian youth movement driven by solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. Israel
Iran preps for sanctions by expanding major port project Iran has long sought to develop the port of Chabahar, but its plans have recently expanded to building a major industrial center. Iran
Israel's finance minister listens carefully as citizens grumble over price of food The social protests that erupted in the summer of 2011 are still reverberating in Israel, and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon's refusal to allow the price of milk to go up means he senses growing consumer anger. Israel
Why Jordan will be key to any Mideast peace deal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must show that he is committed to maintaining the status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites as he declared after meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Palestine
The congressional fight over F-35s for Turkey isn’t over Even as a US deal to sell 100 F-35s to Turkey moves forward with a rollout ceremony this week, lawmakers may deny the transfer of crucial technology needed to operate the jets. Turkey
Pro-Kurdish opposition party election workers held as Turkey vote approaches As Turkey's contentious elections near, the only opposition party with any chance of keeping full control out of the president's hands is being hit hard with raids and rampant detentions. Turkey
Why Turks keep billions 'under the pillow' Amid waning confidence in Turkey’s economic prospects, many Turks have come to shun the financial system and keep their savings at home. Turkey
As Astana trio meets in Geneva, questions loom over Syrian constitution The formation of the Syrian Constitutional Committee has been mired by disputes and delays, though this stalling could be beneficial to Moscow and the Syrian government. Syria
Iranian activists' call for talks with US met with bipartisan fire and fury A statement signed by 100 Iranian activists calling for direct talks with the United States has been shot down by conservatives and Reformists alike. United States
Will smaller plates help prevent Egypt's food waste? The Egyptian Food Bank has been cooperating with Egypt's hospitality industry to get surplus food to people in need, but this is only part of the huge problem of food waste. Egypt
As conditions shift in Syria, Kurds open to talks with Damascus Factors pushing Syrian Kurds to consider negotiating with the Syrian government include their loss of Afrin and the US-Turkey accord on Manbij. Syria
Kurdish rebels move to gain US support for operations against Iran Buoyed by an apparent resurgence in interest in Kurdish rebel groups in Washington, Iranian Kurdish rebel leaders appear to be maneuvering to gain support from the United States as Washington moves to confront the Islamic Republic. United States
