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
Algeria’s hydrocarbon reform adds fuel to protest movement Algeria’s interim government claims to be undertaking economic reforms of the energy sector, but protesters see the effort as an attempt to shore up economic and diplomatic support heading into December presidential elections. Algeria
How will Hamas participate in upcoming elections? After Hamas announced its readiness to participate in Palestinian elections, the leadership is considering the current circumstances and past experiences in order to come up with an effective way to take part in the polls. Palestine
Kurds in northeast Syria feel abandoned by allies Russian military police began joint patrols with Turkish forces near the Syrian-Turkish border as part of an agreement under which Kurdish fighters would withdraw from the area. Syria
Congress sounds alarm on weaponization of Syrian aid The US Congress is warning that Turkey and Russia could join the Syrian government in blocking humanitarian aid for the war-torn country even as lawmakers seek to redirect it from regime-held territory. Iraq
Interview Saudi Arabia still awaiting signs of ‘goodwill’ from Iran In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud talks about the "dramatic effect" of the September attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil fields, and says there will be no official Saudi contacts with Israel until the Palestinian issue is resolved. Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud Former Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the US
Astana trio, UN launch Syrian Constitutional Committee The launch of the Syrian Constitutional Committee provides hopes for a fresh start, but there's also enough room for skepticism. Syria
Hard-line brothers seek to oust Iran's old guard conservatives A new wave of Iranian hard-liners who embrace the teachings of the late Ayatollah Khomeini is looking to replace the entrenched conservatives that the younger grouping thinks have strayed from the path. Iran
As indictment deadline approaches, Netanyahu panics The perfect storm is approaching: Not only will Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit decide soon whether or not to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leaks from police questioning of Yair Netanyahu make the picture even darker. Israel
Top Netanyahu donors’ West Bank winery seeks Trump’s help fighting EU The Psagot winery has hired a former US ambassador to the EU to lobby against “settlement” labeling regulations. Israel
Abbas conditions PA elections on polling stations in Jerusalem Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has made East Jerusalem polling stations a requirement for elections for the Palestinian Parliament. Palestine
Ankara in quiet negotiations to buy Russian Su-35 fighter jets Following Ankara's expulsion from the F-35 program, Turkish officials are looking to Moscow to upgrade Turkey's aging warplane fleet with Russian-made Su-35 jets. Turkey
Tehran decries foreign influence in Iraq protests Though they acknowledge the legitimate demands of Iraqi protesters, Iranian officials are focusing on the role of foreign countries they accuse of using the protests to create chaos and instability. Iraq
