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
Intel: Why Washington still hasn’t sanctioned Turkey over Russian missile purchase President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that Turkey will receive the first shipment of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia next week. Turkey
Despite Trump's gushing at G-20, Ankara, Washington still on collision course US President Donald Trump’s fawning over his Turkish counterpart at the Osaka summit carried little real meaning, and a Turkey-US collision is still very possible. Turkey
Iran's president warns of increased enrichment but says measures reversible Amid near-zero progress between Tehran and the European signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, President Hassan Rouhani is sounding the alarm that reinstatement of uranium enrichment at pre-deal levels is only a few days away. United States
New Turkish mayors weaponize transparency against wasteful spending Turkey’s new mayors are using transparency efforts to undermine AKP-majority governing bodies while protecting their work from obstruction. Turkey
Iraq throws Turkey curveball in bilateral trade Baghdad’s recent restrictions on imported goods have badly bruised Turkey’s food exporters, calling into question the target of $20 billion in bilateral trade. Iraq
Libya has outsized importance for Turkey's Mediterranean plans Turkey's hostility to Libyan forces led by Khalifa Hifter is part of an ongoing strategic power struggle in the region. United Arab Emirates
Yemenis go hungry as UN-rebel tiff disrupts aid The United Nations' World Food Programme says 850,000 Yemenis will be affected by its partial aid suspension in Sanaa as the UN and the Houthi rebels argue about food quality and black market resale. Yemen
Is Iran bargaining chip for Russia in relations with the US? Russia has a lot less incentives to bargain over Iran than the United States believes. Russia
Why Lebanon is against Kushner's deal of the century Lebanon supports the two-state solution for Palestinians and rejects the Trump administration's economic deal of the century. Palestine
Will Iraq cut a deal to prosecute foreign IS fighters? Iraq is seeking to prosecute foreign Islamic State fighters held in Syria, even if they did not commit crimes in Iraq. Iraq
Ethiopian-Israelis continue mass protests against police brutality For many in the Israel-Ethiopian community, the killing of Solomon Tekah by an off-duty police officer was the product of pervasive racism among Israel's security forces and the country needs the kind of wake-up call only massive civil disobedience can send. Israel
East Jerusalem neighborhood bucks Israeli restrictions with mass funeral A small East Jerusalem neighborhood defied Israeli-imposed conditions and held a mass send off for one of their neighbors killed by Israeli police while protesting the demolition of homes and their replacement with a park. Palestine
