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 vexed with Russia after Syria strikes convoy Following Syrian airstrikes on a Turkish convoy, Russia appears to be keeping calm and staying the course, but developments on the ground are spinning quickly. Syria
Iran plans revamp of national currency The Iranian Cabinet has approved a bill to remove four zeros from the national currency, the rial, and rename it the toman, but economists are divided over the potential impact. Iran
Meet the agency that brought World Press Photo's images to Iraq World Press Photo Foundation has launched an exhibition in Iraq for the first time thanks to the efforts of one pioneering photo agency which wanted to realize the dream of its founder. Iraq
How long will Iran tolerate Israeli operations against it? According to recent foreign reports, Israel is continuing to expand its operations against Iranian targets. Israel
Political earthquake in Turkey: A regime running amok? Three elected Kurdish mayors were removed from their posts in a move further endangering what remains of Turkey's democracy. Syria
Zarif makes fresh push to save Iran deal, ease Gulf tensions Iran's foreign minister has embarked on a long journey in search of workable diplomatic solutions to save the battered nuclear deal and resolve heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf. United States
Liberals, ultra-Orthodox battle over Israel’s public spaces The debate over gender separation at a concert in Afula is an example of the ongoing struggle between liberal groups and the ultra-Orthodox, which are both trying to shape the Israeli’s public spaces according to their own norms. Israel
Israel’s Liberman enjoys rattling Netanyahu By blurring the lines between right and left and by declaring that he will only join a national unity government, Chairman of Yisrael Beitenu Avigdor Liberman has become the most interesting politician of the current election campaign. Israel
Why Netanyahu downplays historic trade agreement with South Korea Israel’s most nationalist government ever pledges to annex the occupied territories, and then approves a historic trade pact with South Korea that boycotts the settlements. Palestine
Israel encourages Gazans to leave Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked has confirmed reports about Israeli plans to urge residents of Gaza to leave the Strip and never return. Palestine
Tourism rebounds in Turkey as visitor profile shifts east Turkey’s tourism sector is recovering from the 2016 downturn as more visitors arrive from Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Turkey
Russia ready to fund Palestinian industrial zone Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh discussed with the Russian ambassador the possibility of establishing an industrial zone in Nablus in light of Palestine’s ongoing efforts to promote its local economy and disengage from Israel. Palestine
