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
How 2016 coup attempt led Turkey to buy Russian air defenses Turkey’s purchase of Russian air defense systems comes as part of Ankara’s efforts to obtain security and reassurance from Russia against the United States, which, it believes, was behind the 2016 coup attempt. Turkey
West Bank status quo shares eerie similarities with Kashmir India’s recent moves to repeal Kashmiri autonomy are a lot like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intent to annex parts of the West Bank. Palestine
Amendments to Iraqi provincial elections law spark controversy Large political blocs in the Iraqi parliament voted for a new law organizing provincial elections for 2020 that gives the blocs an advantage over smaller groupings. Iraq
UAE shifts course in Yemen By cutting back its forces in Yemen, the UAE seeks to evade the material, humanitarian and moral consequences of the war all the while counting on its local agents to implement the UAE agenda in the country. Saudi Arabia
Will Egypt launch its own official digital currency? As Facebook announced it might not launch its digital currency as previously announced, experts in Egypt are debating whether the country should regulate digital currency. Egypt
Oil, budgets, Kirkuk still nag Baghdad-Erbil relations Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan representatives have held a series of high-level meetings to try to resolve their longstanding issues, but so far without much apparent success. Iraq
Syrian schools continue to struggle with Kurdish curriculum School curriculum remains the prime concern of parents in Syrian Kurdistan areas under control of the autonomous administration. Syria
Will Dahlan party bust Fatah-Hamas duopoly? Dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan is reportedly working to form a new Palestinian political party with backing from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates
Fire, redevelopment controversy engulf 127-year-old Cairo market An Egyptian presidential decision to vacate and restore the Ataba market stirs traders’ fears of the government's desire to control the largest market in Cairo and turn it into an investment zone. Egypt
Why Moscow is ignoring US cyberattacks on Iran Despite Russia's partnership with Iran, Moscow turns a blind eye to American cyberattacks on key Iranian targets. Russia
Why farmers reject Egypt’s new cotton trade strategy The Egyptian government has announced a new trading system for cotton, which would be sold through public bidding, raising the ire of farmers who already suffer from severe losses. Egypt
Assad’s forces resume shelling of Idlib President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have suspended a cease-fire and resumed airstrikes against Syria’s last rebel stronghold of Idlib, accusing the opposition of violating the truce. Syria
