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
Khamenei calls for ‘structural reforms’ in Iran’s budget Parliament speaker Ali Larijani’s comments about "structural reforms" ordered by Iran's supreme leader have led to anxious speculation about broader changes ahead. Iran
Why southern Libya overwhelmingly supports Hifter Despite negative media coverage, Libya’s military strongman Gen. Khalifa Hifter’s takeover of Sabha in the south was widely welcomed by local tribes that are tired of dealing with gangs and criminals. Libya
Cairo seeks international help to clear millions of land mines Egypt is still littered with land mines from past wars, endangering its citizens and complicating development efforts. Egypt
Egypt planning Asian market bond launch to pay down debt Egypt is readying a road show to promote its international bonds in Asia, after three failed bond auctions in 2018 in European markets. Egypt
As PA tightens financial noose on Hamas, citizens will suffer Upcoming sanctions on money transfer firms in the Gaza Strip — designed by the Palestinian Authority to weaken Hamas — will ultimately harm cash-strapped families and individuals. Palestine
Netanyahu whitewashing far-right activists For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, all means to guarantee his electoral victory are legitimate, including embracing radical right-wing activists. Israel
IDF rabbis find easy road to politics The choice of former Chief IDF Rabbi Rafi Peretz as head of HaBayit HaYehudi shows the religious political right has discovered the potential that lies in the combination of a high military rank and a senior rabbinical authority. Israel
Turkish lawyers focus of 2019 Day of the Endangered Lawyer The Day of the Endangered Lawyer is focusing on Turkey, where lawyers from all ideological and social backgrounds are trying to practice their profession under alarmingly increasing pressures. Originals
Launch of Saudi news channel sparks controversy among Iraqis The announcement by Saudi media group MBC that it will launch a new TV channel — MBC Iraq — aimed at the Iraqi public has been met with a number of swift and angry responses, sparking defense of the station. Saudi Arabia
Trump, touting gains over IS, focuses on Syria exit Speaking to diplomats attending a ministerial meeting of the 79-member Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS today, President Trump said a formal announcement would come next week that 100% of the terror group's territory had been liberated. Syria
Congress puts heat on Saudis as Trump shields crown prince With President Donald Trump set to blow off a deadline to assess Prince Mohammed’s role in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, Congress is gearing up to pass several anti-Riyadh measures. Saudi Arabia
As Greek PM visits Turkey, Erdogan calls for peacefully resolving disputes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras signaled warming ties during the latter's visit to Turkey. Turkey
