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
Israel’s scenario of the 'big' earthquake A devastating earthquake strikes the region about once every century, so Israel — statistically at least — is closer than ever to another deadly tremor. Israel
Postponing Algeria's elections comes with opportunities, but also risks There is a growing likelihood that elections in Algeria will be postponed until later this year, which could give the popular movement more time to craft an agenda, but also allow the interim power structure to remain in place. Algeria
Egypt plans new maritime line to East Africa for increasing exports The Egyptian government will soon inaugurate a new maritime line from the port of Ain Sokhna to East African countries, with the aim of boosting trade and exports. Egypt
Group to boost Palestinian economy, cut link to Israel The Palestinian prime minister is heading a new group designed to inject vitality into the economy and strengthen partnerships among the public, private and civil sectors. Palestine
Netanyahu’s future coalition, the alliance of the underdogs? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is struggling to cobble together a coalition that would guarantee him immunity, with partners who consider themselves underdogs in Israeli society. Israel
Trump seeks to bypass Congress on Saudi weapons sales amid Yemen war dispute Democrats are concerned the Donald Trump administration may use emergency powers to bypass Congress on arms sales to Riyadh. Saudi Arabia
Istanbul's African community squeezed between small jobs, huge discrimination A new photo book highlights the bleak reality of Istanbul's African community in terms of employment and discrimination. Turkey
Istanbul’s opposition candidate urges supporters to retain faith in ballot box Ekrem Imamoglu launched his second election campaign for Istanbul mayor, pledging to cut the wastefulness he discovered during his brief tenure as mayor last month, before electoral officials canceled his victory. Turkey
Will open market operations signal new chapter in Iran’s financial leadership? The Central Bank of Iran will soon engage in open market operations for the first time, but lingering structural issues and the possibility of government meddling threaten the effectiveness of such a measure in curbing money supply and inflation. Iran
Khamenei further distances himself from Iran nuclear deal Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei further distanced himself from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Iran
Assyrian diaspora seeks to reconnect with homeland GISHRU, an association of Assyrians around the world, has been organizing visits to northern Iraq, to bridge the gap between the diaspora and the communities at home. Iraq
Turkey squeezed between Russia, US in Syria Turkey, pressed between Russia and the United States, is headed toward a foreign policy crash in addition to an economic one. Syria
