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
Iranian official declares Bolton appointment a 'shame' Iranian officials expect a more hostile US foreign policy with John Bolton's selection as the new national security adviser. United States
Yazidis in Iraq's Sinjar brace for possible Turkish attack The Yazidi community, which only recently faced Islamic State attacks, is now getting ready for a Turkish military operation in Sinjar announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Iraq
Decision to declassify Syria strike sparks 'war of the generals' in Israel The Mossad, Israeli military intelligence, the IDF and former decision-makers are all fighting for credit over the 2007 Syrian reactor bombing. Israel
As polls open, election rumors plague Egyptians As the presidential elections kicked off in Egypt, the Egyptian Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center rebuffed seven rumors that have preoccupied the public and the media. Egypt
Tribal law keeps imperfect order in Gaza Traditional methods of conflict resolution continue to dominate the Gaza Strip in an effective but potentially inconsistent traditional system. Palestine
Egypt's cartoonists ease tensions as elections kick off Despite the government intensifying its crackdown on dissent and the media ahead of the presidential elections, a handful of Egyptian cartoonists defiantly continue to lampoon Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's inevitable victory. Egypt
Russia, Turkey stay close despite differences in Syria Turkey depends on Russia for civilian nuclear power plant. Syria
Congress links Egypt aid to Cairo’s ties with North Korea US President Donald Trump today signed into law a $1.3 trillion spending bill that places new restrictions on military assistance to Egypt ahead of next week’s presidential election. Egypt
Could container homes alleviate Israeli housing crisis? Israeli architects and students explore the concept of using shipping containers as homes and shopping spaces. Israel
How conservatives are elbowing out Reformists in Iranian cinema Even though most prominent Iranian producers and directors have Reformist leanings, it is conservatives who are the most proactive in this arena. Iran
Netanyahu needs Likud 'soldiers' to fight for his survival The pre-Passover celebration of Likud members reflected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s success of turning the Likud into a one-man party. Israel
Erdogan stays silent on Qatar amid Cyprus gas row Amid an escalating dispute over gas exploration off Cyprus, observers in Turkey are perplexed about why Ankara is sparing Qatar while harshly reacting to other countries and companies cooperating with the Greek Cypriots. Legacy: Gulf
