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
Why can't Palestinian Authority criticize Riyadh? The Palestinian Authority is confident that Riyadh is committed to the Palestinian cause and a two-state solution, and is reluctant to voice any stance that would cause Ramallah to lose Riyadh’s political and financial support. Saudi Arabia
Iraq's ancient city of Ur: source of law, site of wonder Tourists are slowly beginning to return to the ancient Sumerian city of Ur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, raising hopes among some locals. Iraq
Will Uighurs upend Turkey-China relations? Ankara’s angry outburst over the alleged death of a renowned Uighur folk musician while in Chinese detention has exposed the weakness of Turkey’s claims of defending the minority and its dire need to maintain good relations with Beijing. Turkey
Iran questions Iraq's promise to import oil despite sanctions In a surprising statement, Iran's oil minister recently complained that Iraq is abiding by the US sanctions and canceling some energy deals with Iran. Iraq
Egypt’s desire to eradicate slums leaves residents displaced The Egyptian government has relocated dozens of families from the Manshiyet Nasr area after a rockslide, on the pretext that their houses are too damaged, while in reality the government is on a quest to develop Cairo’s slum areas. Egypt
Egypt steps up efforts to combat foreign terrorists Egyptian authorities, concerned about the infiltration of foreign extremists, have issued orders broadening and enhancing security measures at ports of entry. Egypt
Hamas, Israel fight intelligence war In light of ongoing investigations with suspected collaborators with Israel, Hamas’ security forces have managed to seize tracking chips Israel allegedly tried to smuggle into the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Israeli scientists count down to first private moon mission A group of young Israeli scientists are hoping to make history by landing the first Israeli-made private spacecraft on the moon. Israel
Gaza hospitals on brink of collapse Hamas sent another incendiary balloon toward Israel this week, though the Gaza Strip could under no circumstances take another confrontation with the Israel Defense Forces. Palestine
Netanyahu’s dance with anti-Semitism A comment on anti-Semitism in Poland by acting Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz has inadvertently exposed the hypocrisy of Israel’s right-wing government. Israel
EU committee calls for suspending Turkish accession talks over rights violations The EU Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has called for freezing accession talks with Ankara as Turkish prosecutors seek life sentences for philanthropist Osman Kavala and 15 other Turks. Turkey
Will bill to protect Iranian whistleblowers really expose corruption? While some Iranian lawmakers’ efforts to help whistleblowers expose corruption should be welcomed, such initiatives are not likely to achieve their stated goals as long as a comprehensive strategy is not defined and implemented. Iran
