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
Israeli warplanes target Aleppo countryside, says Syria The Syrian state press blamed Israel for a round of airstrikes targeting its military facilities in the eastern Aleppo countryside. Israel
NATO in unprecedented bid at in-house deconfliction between Turkey, Greece NATO has made a timely attempt to defuse tensions between fellow members Turkey and Greece, but the initiative comes with many questions. Turkey
Haniyeh’s visit to Lebanon further deepens Palestinian rift Fatah has criticized the recent visit of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, where he received a strong welcome. Palestine
Are Iraqi youths losing their religion? Despite the influence of religion in Iraqi politics, recent studies show that young people in Iraq are increasingly identifying as secularist. Iraq
Could Netanyahu's attacks on law enforcement cost him his job? For the first time since police began investigating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit held an internal consultation to consider whether the premier should be declared incapacitated and forced to step aside. Israel
Saudi women entrepreneurs fight cultural conditioning The Saudi government has changed many practices that were discriminatory against women, but really empowering women requires a profound change of mentality. Saudi Arabia
US B-52 bombers train with Morocco, Tunisia aircraft over Mediterranean The destroyer USS Roosevelt simulated a hostile ship in a US show of force alongside the North African countries. Morocco
EU stops Libya-bound ship suspected of violating arms embargo European Union naval authorities inspected the merchant vessel after it departed from an Emirati port carrying suspected military fuel. Libya
Qatar to host Afghanistan peace negotiations Qatar has been active in trying to mediate regional conflicts this year and was previously involved in talks between Israel and Hamas. Originals
Denmark will open embassy to Iraq in Baghdad this year Denmark is assuming control of NATO's training mission in Iraq in December. The European Union member has also trained PMU forces in the fight against the Islamic State. Iraq
Jordan announces compulsory military service for jobless men as unemployment surges Men between the ages of 25 and 29 who are in good health and lack jobs may be called for military service. Jordan
For Syria’s opposition activists, Turkey 'best of the bad' While initially welcoming millions of refugees and supporting opposition activists after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the Turkish government has since shifted positions to further its own interests in a manner that dismays many Syrians living in the country. Syria
