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
Pentagon partners with Germany on Tunisia border security The Pentagon is sending nearly $20 million in high-tech help to the North African country as civil war rages in neighboring Libya. Libya
How Israel treats Palestinian detainees Israel often detains Palestinians and keeps them in custody for several days or weeks without meeting a lawyer. Palestine
Egypt faces public backlash after signing $15 billion gas deal with Israel While President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt "scored a goal" with a new gas deal with Israel, many citizens remain skeptical. Egypt
After big boom, Turkey’s aviation sector heads for turbulence Led by national carrier Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s civil aviation sector has grown impressively since 2003, but its heyday may be over due to the strain of economic and political factors. Turkey
Could little-known Turkish party offer Islamist alternative to Erdogan's AKP? Turkey’s Islamist Saadet, or Felicity Party, has flown largely under the radar, but its new moderate line may build a force to be reckoned with in 2019. Turkey
New Israeli education law angers Palestinians Palestinians believe that recent legislation from the Knesset that applies Israeli education law to academic institutions in settlements in the West Bank is a step closer toward annexation. Palestine
Israeli Bedouin women champion social progress The Israeli Interior Ministry together with the Association of Community Centers initiated a first-of-its-kind course designed to train Bedouin women to become members of executive boards. Israel
Palestinians fear political instability in Israel Palestinians worry that investigations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will push him to adopt an even more settlement-friendly policy. Palestine
Questions linger on airstrike that killed local police in Iraq's Anbar Truth urged on airstrike that killed Iraqi police officers and injured the mayor in Anbar province. Iraq
Will the crisis in Gaza finally force Israel to lift its siege? Qatar and the UAE have donated money to ease the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but such assistance will likely only postpone an implosion in the absence of arriving at a solution to the enclave's isolation and lifting of the Israeli blockade. United Arab Emirates
Palestinians determined to reopen West Bank mushroom farm Local Palestinian agricultural products are a powerful way to resist economic dependency on Israel, but barriers have plagued the West Bank's first mushroom farm. Palestine
Umm al-Fahm: Where the streets have no name Israeli authorities are refusing to approve street names selected by the city of Umm al-Fahm to acknowledge and honor Palestinian figures and history. Palestine
