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
Iraq’s Shiite militias hope battlefield wins can secure electoral victory An electoral coalition formed by some pro-Iranian Shiite Popular Mobilization Units is confident it can secure enough seats in parliament to form a majority and claim the premiership. Iraq
Egyptian artist brings Saudi women, men to same stage The Egyptian theater troupe Masrah Masr enjoys popularity across the region, but can it become a model for Saudi Arabia's performing arts scene? Saudi Arabia
Is Erdogan’s re-election a foregone conclusion? Kurdish sources say that if the presidential election goes to a second round, Kurds would not vote for Good Party leader Meral Aksener but certainly would vote for former President Abdullah Gul if he were on the ballot. Turkey
Turkish opposition dejected as ex-president shuns presidential race Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul will not run in the swiftly approaching elections, and no other candidate stands much of a chance against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Boeing finds other buyers as prospects for Iran sales dwindle There is a sense of deja vu as Boeing finds other countries, including the United Arab Emirates, to fill its order books amid US government pressure. United States
Egypt, Russia making most of collaboration prospects Moscow and Cairo are fostering cooperation in various areas and are sure to maintain close bilateral relations in the midterm. Egypt
Turkish women demand safer, cleaner spaces in mosques Observant Muslim women have won their struggle to access all public buildings in Turkey and will now take on the mosques. Turkey
Ex-IRGC chief: Iran to leave nuclear weapons treaty if US ditches deal Former military commander Mohsen Rezaei has said that if the United States reneges on the nuclear deal, Iran could exit the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. United States
Iraq targets terrorism financing with blacklist Iraq has gained international support for its efforts to cut terror funding sources as it gathers data on companies and individuals for inclusion in the UN's sanctions list. Iraq
Why US must also open East Jerusalem embassy Opening a US Embassy in Jerusalem could actually advance peace, if it is accompanied by the opening of a US Embassy to Palestine in East Jerusalem. Palestine
Assad's forces expected to move on to Idlib The Syrian regime appears ready to target militants in Idlib, but the area is also filled with civilians who have fled there to escape the violence in so many other parts of the country. Syria
Will Israel accept UAE donations to East Jerusalem? Former Fatah member Mohammed Dahlan appears to have caught Israel by surprise with an announcement of a $70 million donation from the UAE for the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem. United Arab Emirates
