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
Israeli left-wing party moving in the 'right' direction Tamar Zandberg, who is expected to assume leadership of left-wing Meretz, has sparked controversy by saying that she will not rule out joining a coalition that includes the right-wing Yisrael Beitenu. Israel
Education minister cashes in on Israel Prize winners' popularity Education Minister Naftali Bennett is using this year’s Israel Prize winners to promote his own image as mainstream and stately. Israel
Protests in Tunisia's phosphate regions threaten economy The recurrent disruption of phosphate production puts Tunisia's economy in the face of new challenges. Tunisia
Cairo calls on Egyptian expats for water advice The Egyptian government hosted a conference in Luxor and invited Egyptian experts living abroad to take part in helping address issues related to the country's water insecurity. Egypt
Lebanese army appeals for international assistance The Lebanese Armed Forces are appealing for financial support from international donors to fight extremist groups in the country. Lebanon
Sisi takes Saudi prince to theater The Saudi crown prince's diplomatic visit to Egypt included a trip to the theater for a play that is anything but traditional in a country where artistic works still face heavy censorship. Egypt
Tunisia hopes boost in Chinese investment can ease economic woes After years of placing investments elsewhere in the African continent, China is increasingly looking to Tunisia to serve as an ideal middleman to control passageways between North Africa and Europe. Egypt
Erdogan vows to carry fight beyond Afrin Turkish troops and Turkey-backed forces took control of the Syrian city after the Kurdish militia in power there withdrew and are now eyeing what Turkey's president calls a “terrorist corridor” along its border. Syria
Can European business and technology save the Iran deal? Far from being a passive bystander as the Trump administration moves to tear up the Iran nuclear deal, Europe has plenty of options to save the accord. United States
Ahmadinejad attacks Quds Force commander Soleimani Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatened to discuss his government’s "working relationship" with Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. Iran
Turkey’s nuclear power plant project gets second chance The planned Akkuyu nuclear power plant has had its share of problems, but could become a lucrative strategic partnership between Russia and Turkey. Turkey
Turkey’s electoral overhaul sparks boycott calls Amid ongoing controversy over the integrity of last year’s referendum, the Turkish government’s overhaul of electoral rules erodes further the opposition’s trust in fair elections. Turkey
