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
Turkey's Regional Policy Protected By American Bomb Turkey once sought a nuclear-free region but now covets the protection from its neighbors that is afforded by US nuclear bombs, writes Kadri Gursel. Turkey
Ghannouchi Defends Islamist Rule in Tunisia Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of Tunisia's ruling Ennahda party, insists that Islam and democracy can coexist and even thrive in his country, Nafeesa Syeed reports. Originals
Israelis, Iranians Meet at Summit Shlomi Eldar is surprised to discover an Israeli flag fluttering beside the Iranian flag at the well-known tourist site of Mount Tahtali, Turkey. Israel
Gaza Cancer Rates on Rise After each Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, cancer rates soar among Gazans as a result of increased radiation in the environment, reports Asmaa al-Ghoul. Palestine
Exiled Iranian Satirist Still Mocks Ruling Elites It's not easy to make fun of people who want to imprison you, but satirist Ebrahim Nabavi has made a career of it. The prolific Iranian writer and performer, on tour in the US, is interviewed by Saideh Jamshidi. Iran
Turkey's Ultra-Nationalists Playing With Fire Turkey's ultra-nationalists are evoking the violence of the past when rallying against the government's peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party, writes Semih Idiz. Turkey
A New Non-Violent Palestinian Anti-Israel Movement Emerges A new Palestinian anti-Israel movement that shuns violence is emerging, Ahmad Azem reports. Palestine
Parliament Speaker Key to Lebanese Electoral Law Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri remains a critical player in Lebanese politics, including whether there will be passage of an electoral law, writes Elie Hajj. Lebanon
Shahnameh of the Digital Age A vibrant new version of the Persian epic reconstructs 500 years' worth of images and texts to create a modern mythology for English speakers and Iranians alike, writes Roja Heydarpour. Pan Arab
Tunisian Opposition Leader: Islamists Fail at Consensus Beji Caid Essebsi accused the Ennahda of hamstringing the country after the revolution, insisting that the ruling party's Islamist ideology prevents it from building broader consensus, writes Nafeesa Syeed. Originals
Israel Ignores the Outreached Hand of the Arab League The Arab League summit in Doha reaffirmed its 2002 peace initiative but, as Akiva Eldar writes, Israel is totally indifferent. Palestine
Did Turkey Deport Syrians? Turkish authorities deny allegations that 600 Syrians were deported form the Suleiman Shah refugee camp, writes Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
