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
Turkey's pro-Kurdish HDP returns from Erbil with no news on PKK talks A delegation from Turkey’s largest pro-Kurdish party paid a visit to Iraqi Kurdistan that many Kurds hoped would lead to renewed dialogue between Turkey and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, but nothing concrete seems to have yet emerged. Turkey
Iran celebrates Bolton ouster The departure of John Bolton, the US administration's most relentless Iran hawk, at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington was good news across the political spectrum in Iran. United States
Can Turkey escape the fireball in Idlib? Protesters in Idlib are calling Turkey traitorous, but that’s only a small part of the big picture, in which radical jihadi groups emerge as a fireball in all scenarios for Ankara, entertaining menacing ambitions. Syria
Female officers in IDF aiming higher and higher With more women assuming combat roles in the IDF, it becomes more plausible that a woman will one day command the IDF and that along the way more women will be able to move from the military into high-level national politics. Israel
A generational change is looming in Turkish politics New names for the post-Erdogan era signify a generational change in Turkish politics. Turkey
How UAE airstrikes on government forces changed military map in Aden Hopes for a negotiated solution to the dispute in Aden vanished with Saudi Arabia calling on the UAE-backed separatists to withdraw from government institutions in the southern Yemeni city. Saudi Arabia
What is Muqtada al-Sadr doing in Iran? In a surprising appearance, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, known for his criticism of Iran's regional policies, sat next to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran's Quds commander Qasem Soleimani at a religious assembly. Iraq
Palestinians: Trump's plan, not Greenblatt, is the problem Palestinians do not think the resignation of US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt will make a difference to the fate of the so-called deal of the century. Palestine
The teenage activists bringing the climate crisis to Middle East In a country where neighboring wars and local political problems affect daily life, these Lebanese activists are hoping to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change. Lebanon
Egypt's expansion of no-bid contracts raises ethical issues The Egyptian government issued a decision allowing the disposal of state-owned lands through direct agreement without putting them up for public bidding, which some critics say invites corruption. Egypt
Egypt’s support for Lebanon survives decades During the latest cross-border fire exchanged between the Hezbollah movement and Israel in southern Lebanon, Egypt has deployed efforts to contain the situation. Egypt
Is Belarus scheming against Russia's reconstruction policies in Syria? Belarus is tacitly promoting its own businesses in Syria, but not all of them are necessarily to the detriment of the Russians. Syria
