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
Erdogan, Putin endure marriage of convenience The Turkish and Russian leaders may be unhappy partners, but it is clear that they are committed to each other in Syria's Idlib. Syria
Small Istanbul publisher sustains Armenian literature Aras Publishing has spent nearly three decades publishing forgotten classics by Armenian writers in both Turkish and the at-risk Western Armenian language. Turkey
Waves of displacement continue amid Idlib escalation Idlib residents continue to flee toward the border with Turkey as Syrian regime forces, backed by Russian airstrikes, advance on the country’s last opposition stronghold. Syria
US-led mediation may resolve Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan dam dispute Technical and legal experts continue to consult to draft a comprehensive agreement on the filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam, but internal pressure remains a major challenge in Ethiopia that may hinder the settlement of many controversial issues. Egypt
What's in store for Palestinian-Jordanian ties as US rolls out peace plan? While Jordan and Palestine are supporting each other in their rejection of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, it remains to be seen what the future holds if Washington ups the pressure on Amman. Palestine
How Saudi Arabian farmers are trying to preserve traditional coffee production Climate change, water shortages and newcomers are challenging the traditional coffee culture in Saudi Arabia, which has the 10th largest per capita consumption in the world. Saudi Arabia
'There's no mercy': Kurdish Red Crescent perseveres in northern Syria Heyva Sor a Kurdistane, the Kurdish Red Crescent, has been doggedly rescuing the wounded and attending to the sick in northeastern Syria since 2012. Syria
SDF benefits from letting IS prisoners go, capturing more The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are said to be releasing Islamic State prisoners in Raqqa through mediation with Arab tribes, raising concerns among locals about a resurgence of the group. Syria
Is the time ripe for US-Egyptian free trade agreement? Egypt will start its negotiations with the United States next year for signing a bilateral free trade agreement as several international financial institutions praised its economic reform. Egypt
Intel: Why Russia went on counteroffensive against US criticism over Idlib The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the killing of “several Russian and Turkish military specialists” in the Idlid de-escalation zone. Syria
Key nuclear watchdog reassures Washington it can still monitor Iran as deal unravels The International Atomic Energy Agency chief is making the rounds in Washington this week to stress that his agency can still monitor Iran’s nuclear program as the nuclear deal unravels. Congress
Europe worries as Trump seems to lose interest in new Iran deal Europeans with embassies on the ground disagree with the belief by Donald Trump administration officials that the Iranian regime is on the brink of collapse, and that the administration can wait for Iran to surrender to a long US wish list. United States
