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
Ahead of elections, Netanyahu 'remembers' cannabis-needing patients It was only when he needed the Zehut party for electoral reasons that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ''remembered'' the thousands of patients needing cannabis for medical reasons. Israel
Pentagon touts Space Command as boon to Middle East role The Donald Trump administration's launch of a Pentagon command to defend US space orbiting satellites could give Middle East commanders a boost in protecting their eyes and ears on the battlefield. Legacy: Gulf
Ousted HDP mayors react as Erdogan promises judicial action Three dismissed opposition mayors responded as the Turkish president said new judicial actions would address their alleged terror activities in the upcoming parliamentary session. Turkey
Will rancor or realism prevail in Turkish-Israeli ties? While there continues to be a large political gap between Turkey and Israel, economic ties continue to be strong despite the lack of a gas pipeline deal. Israel
Iran's nuclear chief promises 'good news' on heavy water reactor As Iran’s third step in reducing its nuclear commitments approaches, the head of its atomic energy agency says that Iran's nuclear program is far from suspended. Iran
What's behind Rouhani's about-face on Trump meeting? While Iran’s president stated that he doesn't want to be part of a photo op for Trump, negotiations for saving the nuclear deal are still making progress. United States
Uighurs no longer feel safe in Turkey Despite the brotherhood accorded to them as kinsmen and coreligionists, Uighurs in Turkey increasingly live in fear of deportation to China. Turkey
US delay reflects fear in Netanyahu losing The Donald Trump administration has yet again delayed the announcement of its long-awaited peace plan for the Middle East, which some say is linked to the Israeli elections next month and fear of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu losing them. Israel
Iraqi decision to remove Shabak PMU from Ninevah Plains stirs conflict A dispute over the presence of Popular Mobilization Units in the Ninevah Plains raises concerns about the recurrence of conflict in the area. Iraq
Palestinian Authority must pay $3.61 million in torture case Israel recently collected several million dollars from Palestinian Authority funds to compensate Arab-Israelis wrongly arrested two decades ago. Palestine
Will Egypt's greenhouse project mark a leap in agricultural sector? The Egyptian army is behind a project to build thousands of greenhouses nationwide, which raised criticism over the army’s role in the agricultural sector. Egypt
