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
Gaza's religious ministry launches Khotaba, the Yelp for Islamic preachers A new website allows Muslim worshippers to assess and rate preachers and find out where they will be delivering Friday sermons in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Russia's role in Afrin depends on Turkey's true intentions As Turkish forces continue their offensive on Kurdish-controlled Afrin, Russia's playbook there seems to call for a level field and level heads. Syria
Is US bailing on Syrian Kurds? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ignores appeals for restraint in northern Syria, appears to have gotten Washington to end support for the YPG. Syria
Iraqi journalists face attacks by politicians' bodyguards As attacks on journalists are on the rise in Iraq, part of the problem lies with politicians' bodyguards who are also assaulting journalists. Iraq
Istanbul hospital’s cover-up of teen pregnancy just tip of iceberg An Istanbul hospital covered up 115 cases of underage pregnancy, refusing to report the cases to police as required by law. Turkey
Rouhani under fire over criticism of Shiite imams Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s apparent insistence that everyone can be criticized, including Shiite saints deemed infallible, riles the clergy. Iran
Erdogan's plans for Afrin might not sit well with Syria Turkey's president is talking about settling Syrian refugees in Afrin, suggesting that Kurds are not the dominant community there, and handing over the region to anti-regime groups. Syria
Israel's 'tribal wars' veer out of control A song by Israeli Yehonatan Geffen about the Palestinian girl who slapped two Israeli soldiers ignited an all-out war between right and left. Palestine
Istanbul's Iron Church restored as Turkey warms to Bulgaria The eclectic Iron Church at the heart of Istanbul has been renovated and reopened as a monument to the Bulgarian community’s determination to uphold their own identity — and an overture to the new EU president. Turkey
Israel seeks to cut off funds for families of prisoners Israel has long claimed that the money the Palestinian Authority pays to the families of Palestinian "martyrs" killed or imprisoned in Israel amounts to incentives to commit murder, and now the Knesset is considering a bill to prevent such payments. Palestine
Nine Lebanese women murdered by partners in single month As sexual and domestic violence complaints mount, Lebanese women's rights activists fear that violence against women in the country may be rising as women grow emboldened to resist abuse. Lebanon
Local official's insult to Upper Egypt spurs development plans A comment by Local Development Minister Abu Bakr al-Gendy concerning citizens of the Upper Egypt governorates has shone a light on the area's extreme poverty and highlighted the need to pursue economic development. Egypt
