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
The Takeaway: March 11, 2020 Highlights: Putin throws Erdogan lifeline with new Syria cease-fire; Iran’s Reformists sidelined in new hard-line parliament; UAE’s four-part template for peaceful nuclear power; Sesame Street goes local in Jordan; and more! Originals
Trial of detained Saudi women's activist postponed in Riyadh A court hearing for Saudi women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul is delayed for a week. Saudi Arabia
Details sparse as first coronavirus case reported in Turkey Health officials announced Turkey's first confirmed coronavirus case late Tuesday but shared no details, leading disease specialists to urge more screening and greater transparency. Turkey
Some Iraqis rejecting coronavirus warnings The Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq has imposed a ban on communal worship in mosques because of the new coronavirus, but some people are ignoring the danger. Iraq
Erdogan may be the world's most 'insulted' leader Lawyers for the Turkish president have sued more than 17,000 people for what they describe as insults to the president, with more than 5,000 convicted. Turkey
Iran's top security body rejects lockdown of epidemic areas Iran said its death toll from the coronavirus epidemic will not stop rising until around the second week of April, while insisting that a lockdown on the hardest-hit provinces is not an option. Iran
Turkey’s Erdogan vows retaliation if Idlib truce violated Turkey and Russia are maintaining a fragile truce in Syria's Idlib, yet the Turkish president said his military may retaliate if its outposts are targeted. Syria
Rap becomes battle cry of Iraqi protests Rap music has exploded among young Iraqi protesters, who bring the music with them to energize their demonstrations. Iraq
Netanyahu, Gantz must return to Cairo 2016 Blue and White leader Benny Gantz should agree to a unity government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, not just to fight the coronavirus, but to resume the Cairo talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Palestine
Coronavirus climbs up Turkey’s economic risk ladder The Turkish-Russian deal on a cease-fire in Idlib was expected to ease economic jitters in Turkey, yet the country’s risk premium has hardly changed under the impact of the coronavirus crisis. Originals
Intel: Despite new Idlib deal, Russia, Turkey look to strengthen leverage in Syria Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar spoke by phone with his Russain counterpart Sergey Shoigu March 10 about the progress of the bipartisan protocol over Idlib that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed in Moscow on March 5. Syria
Erdogan’s war in Idlib faces uphill battle on the home front Having failed to deliver on his ultimatum to the Assad regime, Erdogan now has a serious credibility problem domestically. Syria
