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
Some Iranian Reformists welcome new hard-line judiciary chief Although many Reformists are not likely to be enthusiastic that Ebrahim Raisi has been named as Iran's judiciary chief, some Reformists are welcoming him. Iran
Turkey faces growing Kurdish insurgency in Syria's Afrin An investigative journalism site reports that hundreds of violent attacks claimed by several anti-Free Syrian Army groups in Afrin mirror the modus operandi of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Syria
Islamic State roots run deep in Middle East discontent There has been a sharp increase in reports that the Islamic State is being eradicated in Syria, but such declarations seem premature. Iraq
Yemenis divided over Mideast peace deal, Iran The controversy that ensued after a photo emerged of Yemen's foreign minister sitting next to the Israeli premier in Warsaw indicates that Arab states may be further divided by stances on Iran and a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal. Saudi Arabia
Iraqi Kurdistan takes aim at gun control The Iraqi Kurdistan Region has given gun owners six months to register their small firearms and give up heavy weapons. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Egypt, Turkey vying for clout Turkey has loudly criticized the Egyptian regime, pointing to a growing competition between the two countries for prominence. Egypt
Russian Industrial Zone in Suez to be launched soon The construction of the Russian Industrial Zone in the new Suez Canal Economic zone is expected to begin soon, in a project that Egypt hopes will boost its economy. Egypt
Will Algerian protesters accept ailing president’s offer for reforms? Against a background of growing dissent, Algeria’s ailing president has confirmed his intention to run in April’s elections; however, whether a commitment to reform and a fresh vote within the year, delivered by proxy, will be enough to quell protest remains uncertain. Algeria
Iranian forum looks to address so-called 'sexual crisis' An Iranian media group is sponsoring a series of talks on the taboo subject of sex to deal with the so-called sexual crisis in the country. Iran
Iraqi artists keep up pottery tradition Iraqi pottery craftsmen fear that their ancient craft will disappear, even though this art is now picked up in academia. Iraq
'No money, no marriage' sparks dueling social media campaigns After young Egyptian men launched a campaign to boycott marriage due to the unfulfillable demands of prospective brides' parents, women countered with a campaign of their own in defense of their families. Egypt
Zarif’s stock rises with support from Soleimani While Iran’s foreign minister carries the day against hard-liners, Israel hopes to exploit possible cracks in Tehran’s Syria policy. Israel
