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
Before talks with Palestinians, Israel must fulfill agreements Years of occupation and settlement expansion render the possibility of reaching an agreement with the Palestinians very slim, but Israel can reach out to them by implementing past agreements. Palestine
Turks unite to condemn Trump's threat to 'devastate' economy Turkish government officials and members of the opposition condemned President Donald Trump's threat to "devastate Turkey economically" if Ankara attacks Washington's Kurdish allies in northern Syria. Syria
PA pulls out of Rafah, Hamas settles in Fatah has withdrawn its staff from the Rafah border crossing and left it to Hamas in a major blow to the reconciliation process. Palestine
Why Iran must shake up its approach to state-owned enterprises While the government’s general budget grabs the most attention in Iranian media, it is high time for Iran to revise the way it approaches the dilemma of the vast number of uncompetitive state-owned enterprises. Iran
Privatization of Turkish military factory draws strong criticism The lease of the Turkish military’s prominent tank factory to the private company BMC has stirred fierce criticism. Qatar
Iran says Poland conference divides Europe Iran has condemned an upcoming anti-Iran meeting hosted by Poland. Russia
Kurds in Turkey unite to take aim at Ankara in elections Saying they have taken enough abuse, Kurds in Turkey have formed an alliance to strengthen their standing in upcoming elections. Turkey
Bahraini opposition in Iraq stirs crisis between Baghdad, Manama The opening of an office of the Bahraini opposition in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad has caused a crisis between Iraq and Bahrain. United Arab Emirates
Ankara's east-Euphrates vision more dream than plan As the US withdrawal raises the specter of a power vacuum in Syrian territory east of the Euphrates River, Ankara is too anxious about Damascus filling the void to come up with rational solutions. Syria
Changes expected in Palestinian Knesset representation There appears to be a good chance that the Joint List will not be the only party vying to represent the interests of Palestinian citizens of Israel in April elections for the next Knesset. Palestine
