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
Syrian Kurds bring demands to Washington The Syrian Democratic Council hopes to convince the Trump administration to rethink its withdrawal. Syria
Syrian cease-fire holds as Kurdish forces withdraw from Turkish border A fragile truce held for a fourth day despite sporadic fighting as Kurdish militants leave a strategic town, the United States pulls out its soldiers and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heads to Russia to discuss what comes next. Syria
How Turkey’s Syria incursion could have big impact in the Gulf Turkey's Operation Peace Spring has exacerbated the divide between Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait on the one hand and Qatar on the other. Saudi Arabia
Iran announces upgrades at Arak nuclear reactor Iran has announced upgrades to the Arak nuclear reactor and says it is ready to take the fourth step toward the reduction of nuclear commitments. Iran
Turkish-backed fighters laud success of suspended Operation Peace Spring Turkish-backed fighters say the Kurdish dominated People's Protection Units (YPG) better withdraw from the safe zone within the 120-hour deadline under the Oct. 17 US-Turkish Operation Peace Spring agreement or else. Syria
How to think about Iraq’s demonstrations Iraq's demonstrations are largely justified and entirely expected as the removal of the problems of sectarianism and insurgency have left the deep structural problems of Iraq’s government and its political economy exposed. Iraq
Congress calls on US to scout nuclear alternatives to Turkey base Congress has tucked a provision into a bill to sanction Turkey for its two-week incursion into northern Syria that would study the possibility of removing US nuclear weapons and troops from Incirlik Air Base. Syria
Movie about Yazidis, female fighters offers stylized look at Kurdish plight "Sisters in Arms" casts an artful eye on the plight of Iraq's Yazidi women and the Kurdish women who fought the Islamic State, but critics say its narrative is misleading. Iraq
Has Erdogan given up rapprochement with Arabs? For many years, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan worked toward rapprochement with the Arab world, but the Arab League’s condemnation of Turkey’s Syria operation has marked a turning point. Turkey
How local groups, volunteers are helping displaced in northern Syria Local organizations and volunteers are mobilizing efforts to cater to the needs of thousands of displaced who fled the Turkish offensive in northeastern Syria. Syria
Does Egypt really have gas self-sufficiency? Despite the frequent announcements by Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek el-Mulla of achieving self-sufficiency in natural gas and halting imports, in addition to the completion of the phases of operation of Zohr field, Cairo's continued import of Israeli gas stirred confusion. Egypt
25 years on, Jordan-Israel peace is frostier than ever While there is no love lost between Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, neither will take the risk of jeopardizing the fragile peace between their two states, at least for now. Palestine
