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
Rabbis seek to break monopoly on Israeli kosher certification Tzohar rabbis offer an alternative to restaurants and hotels that want a kosher certification but are fed up with the Chief Rabbinate. Israel
Iran dismisses Saudi talk of 'triangle of evil' as 'childish' Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused Saudi Arabia of making accusations against Iran to hide its own failures in Yemen. Saudi Arabia
Iran's poorest citizens still waiting for some semblance of parity after 39 years Iranian authorities need to muster the courage and will to tackle fundamental tax and subsidy reforms to remedy the gaping wealth inequality in the country. Iran
The dealmaker: Mueller witness helped broker $4.2 billion Iraq-Russia arms deal Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s latest interest, Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, has a long history of mysterious dealings in the Middle East despite a low profile in Washington. United Arab Emirates
Turkish women's organization looks back on two decades of progress For more than two decades, an organization in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast called KAMER has led the uphill struggle to empower women and challenge often deadly social norms in these patriarchal and war-torn communities. Turkey
New tax plan set to increase Palestinians' burdens In an attempt to compensate for threats of US aid cuts, the Palestinian Authority is revamping its tax system to expand the tax liability of citizens, which could have a catastrophic impact on Palestinians. Palestine
Was Egypt's bond sale a sign of hope or desperation? Egypt raised $4 billion in a debt sale to help finance its budget deficit, but some economists emphasize that the government must ultimately find ways to generate income if it is to successfully deal with its economic problems and settle its debt. Egypt
US still pouring weapons into Yemen war The United States sold Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates more than $650 million in weapons last year for their war against the Houthis, according to a new report. Saudi Arabia
Slew of anti-Palestinian bills points to impending Israeli elections The numerous anti-Palestinian bills pushed forward by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition are signs that the right is preparing for early elections. Palestine
Israeli settlers hold country hostage to their ideology Americans and Israelis are hostage to powerful single-interest lobbies like the National Rifle Association and the right-wing settlement movement, which do not represent broad public opinion. Israel
Syrian children in Lebanon express their plight with poetry An exhibition in Beirut combines poems written by Syrian children with Lebanese and Syrian artists’ paintings, drawings and sculptures. Lebanon
Assassinations mount as Iranian Kurdish militants clash with Tehran Tension builds in northern Iraq as the conflict between Iranian-Kurdish militants and Tehran seems to escalate. Iraqi-Kurdistan
