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
Young Syrians flee Daraa, Quneitra in droves Young people have been taking flight from Daraa and Quneitra in bids to find decent jobs and to avoid having to serve in the Syrian army. Lebanon
Turkey faces losses in Syria east, west of the Euphrates River Ankara’s attempts to play Russia and the United States off against each other may be gaining it very little and could leave it losing more than it expected. Syria
Who's behind explosions at PMU militia sites in Iraq? As attacks on Iran-backed militias' facilities in Iraq continue, Israel actually hints it may be behind them. Iraq
Southern Yemeni women enter storm of politics, war Many women in Yemen's south would like to see a return of the more progressive rights they enjoyed before Yemen's north and south merged in 1990; could the Southern Transitional Council's gains against the Hadi government in Aden help bring this about? Legacy: Gulf
Turkey attacks Kurdish protesters as world shrugs Police brutality has reared its head as demonstrations continue in Diyarbakir over the replacement of three Kurdish mayors in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast by state appointees. Turkey
Iran's Khamenei urges oil-free economy as crude sales shrink Iran's supreme leader has underlined the need for an economy independent of oil as the country's crude exports continue to plunge amid US pressure on Tehran's customers. Iran
Israeli wind farm project unites Jewish settlers, Golan Druze In the Golan Heights, Israeli settlers and Druze have joined forces to oppose a wind farm project. Israel
Turkey questions why Russia didn't prevent Idlib attack The Syrian airstrike this week against a Turkish military convoy in Idlib has prompted speculation that Russia and Syria are cooperating at Turkey's expense. Yemen
Jordan warns against changing status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque Jordan summoned the Israeli ambassador over Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, while Jordan’s Parliament called for his expulsion amid tension at the Muslim holy site. Palestine
Who is pulling the strings in Egypt's irreverent puppet show? A new satirical puppet show in Egypt has thousands of fans — but there is a major debate on who is behind it. Egypt
IS makes comeback in Syria through sleeper cells The Islamic State has stepped up its military operations through its sleeper cells east of the Euphrates River while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces arrest a number of women part of these cells in areas under its control. Syria
Why UN fears exposing Israel The United Nations did not include Israel in its "list of shame" of states committing grave violations against children, despite the figures and statistics released in its special report pointing to the contrary. Palestine
