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
Palestinian cartoonists capture Great Return March in pen and ink Despite economic and social hardships, Palestinian caricaturists stick to their art as a peaceful means of telling the world about their people's struggle. Palestine
Putin, Macron explore what they have to offer each other on Iran, Syria The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum set the stage for French President Emmanuel Macron to pursue a broad agenda and perhaps bring his country and Russia closer regarding Syria and Iran. Syria
Egypt holds labor union elections amid accusations of government interference While labor union elections kicked off in Egypt for the first time in 12 years, activists accused the government of trying to control the outcome by excluding certain candidates. Egypt
New Iraqi government will again require Iranian blessing While Iran may not be the winner in Iraq’s election, it will likely remain the final broker. Iraq
Will Sadr’s victory impact Russia-Iraq relations? The pragmatism displayed by Iraq's Muqtada al-Sadr indicates that Moscow-Baghdad ties will continue — or even expand — when the new government is formed. Iraq
Iran-Israel restraint may hinge on nuclear deal As tensions between Iran and Israel reach new highs, saving the nuclear deal could be the only path to containing further dangerous escalation in the region. Israel
Israel pushes US to recognize Golan Heights sovereignty Some Israeli senior officials believe the Trump administration might agree to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Israel
F-35 sale to Turkey runs into congressional buzz saw The sale of more than 100 fifth-generation fighter jets is in jeopardy amid worsening US tensions with its NATO ally. Turkey
Turkish military purges decimate career officer, pilot ranks The impending dismissal of another 3,000 Turkish soldiers suspected of disloyalty is raising concerns about military readiness. Turkey
Mosul’s Fine Arts Faculty picks up pieces in destroyed city Cleaning up burned classrooms and destroyed statues, professors and students have reopened the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Mosul and even launched an art exhibition. Iraq
Iraqi, Syrian forces work together to secure border The Iraqi army is coordinating with its Syrian counterpart to secure the border between the two countries and to prevent terrorist elements from moving between the two countries. Iraq
As Iraqi elections end, power play begins for prime minister The Islamic Dawa party, which has held sway over Iraq's government for a dozen years, could lose its power to select the prime minister unless it can resolve major differences between its inner rivals and unify the party. Iraq
