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
Jilted Kurds ignore Western hand-wringing over Syria gas attack The Syrian Kurds have been notably silent on US President Donald Trump’s threat to punish Damascus over a suspected chemical attack on Douma, likely disillusioned and choosing to focus on condemning Turkey's ongoing offensive in Afrin. Syria
Trump's threats fuel nuclear ambitions among Iranian conservatives Iranian conservatives renew the prospect of exiting the nonproliferation treaty in case the United States withdraws from the nuclear deal. Iran
Turkey's running out of time to pick a partner in Syria Turkey's been playing the field in Syria, but as the crisis escalates, Ankara may have to make a commitment to either its NATO allies or Moscow. Syria
Iranian banking reforms gain steam after long delay Progress on major banking reforms in Iran finally moves in the right direction after years of stalling. Iran
Turkey’s controversial wealth fund stumbles badly since hasty creation Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund, which holds key public assets worth $160 billion, has stumbled badly since its hasty creation in 2016. Turkey
Is Iranian state TV’s monopoly at risk? Iran’s state TV, which is facing a crisis over viewership since some of its best directors walked out, has found a strong rival in the home video network. Iran
Farmers' efforts fruitless after Israeli military drills Israel's army drills are razing thousands of acres of the Jordan Valley used by Palestinians for farmland and pastures. Israel
Syrian refugees find support, hope in Turkey's peaceful Kilis A vocational training center is helping Syrian refugees build new lives in the peaceful Turkish border town of Kilis, but more funding is needed to keep it going. Syria
Excavations start on Palestine’s oldest monastery St. Hilarion Monastery, named after the first monk in Palestine, gets international funding for a project that would enable its restoration in a two-year-long project. Palestine
Will Iraq's new 'tribal court' undermine rule of law? A group of tribal sheikhs will be appointed by the Ministry of Justice to intervene as arbitrators to resolve disputes and conflicts between Iraqi tribes, which some fear will undermine the rule of law in Iraq. Iraq
Egypt planning slew of IPOs to boost 2018-19 budget Listing 23 Egyptian state-owned companies on the stock exchange is among several steps that the recently announced state budget will rely on to achieve a 5.8% growth rate in the next fiscal year. Egypt
Uber, Careem drivers back on job as Egypt moves to regulate industry After their operations were suspended by a Cairo court, another put Uber and Careem back on Egyptian streets while the parliament drafts legislation to regulate ride-share companies. Egypt
