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 becomes new dump for global plastic waste Due to lax regulations, plastic scrap imports to Turkey have skyrocketed since 2018; why is the AKP letting the country turn into a global wastebasket? Turkey
Summer could be 'hot' in Palestine, PM warns Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh has warned that this summer could be a “hot” one, but it is unclear whether Israel or the United States will take steps to keep temperatures down. Palestine
Will Egypt privatize electricity delivery? Two international companies have approached the Egyptian government about buying shares in three of its electricity stations, sparking discussion over the pros and cons of privatizing energy distribution. Originals
West Bank dash cams aim to cut accidents, improve driving The Palestinian Ministry of Transportation is equipping road safety patrol vehicles with cameras to monitor traffic in an attempt to reduce accidents. Palestine
Ex-FSA fighters recruited by Damascus to fight opposition in northern Syria Syrian government forces are resorting to former Free Syrian Army fighters who reached reconciliation agreements with the regime, in its offensive in northern Syria. Syria
Despite US pressure, expect regional players to phone in Manama meeting Several regional states will show up for the US-led conference in Bahrain, but none of them really believes it will promote Middle East peace. Saudi Arabia
Egyptian-Turkish trade: A love-hate relationship Egypt's free trade agreement with Turkey ends in 2020, but it is unclear whether it will be renewed in light of the political antipathy between the two countries' leaders. Egypt
Who will benefit from Qatar’s asylum law? Although Qatari-Egyptian ties have been strained since the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi, Qatar’s asylum law was followed with a ministerial decision that would not only protect Egyptian fugitives, but also ease their financial burden. Qatar
Barzani cousins assume top posts in Iraqi Kurdistan The new president and prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region have been sworn into office. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Female entrepreneurs fight crisis by reviving heritage Female entrepreneurs from Iraq, Palestine and Egypt show that hardship does not always impede creativity, particularly when you build on your country's artistic heritage. Palestine
Can Russia plug through US sanctions to reconstruct Syria? Russia seeks to work around US sanctions to help reconstruct Syria, but some of Damascus' own policies may be unhelpful in this endeavor. Syria
Ankara plays down US ultimatum on S-400 Despite the US announcement that Ankara will be excluded from the F-35 fighter jet program if it goes ahead with its purchase of a Russian missile system, Turkish officials continue to behave as if Washington is bluffing. Turkey
