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
Why Israel-Jordan crisis lasted so long After a tough reconciliation effort, Israel and Jordan have mended relations from the crisis that erupted over the shooting incident in Amman. Palestine
As Yemeni riyal is in free fall, worst may be yet to come The Yemeni riyal's loss of more than 15% of its value in a matter of days will make establishing peace more difficult by exacerbating inequality. Saudi Arabia
Can Palestinians bear halt of US aid? As the United States withholds more than half of its financial contribution to UNRWA, fears arise about the repercussions the decision will have on the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian economy. Palestine
Egypt's taxis continue court fight against ride-sharing apps A lawsuit calling for the suspension of Uber and Careem in Egypt continues to be delayed as efforts to accommodate the two companies alongside regular taxis progress. Egypt
Fired teacher tells story of Turkish purge onstage A teacher who was dismissed from her job in the aftermath of the coup attempt is using drama to give a voice to Turkey's 150,000 civil servants in similar situations. Turkey
Award-winning talk show for Arab youth tackles religion, sex An Arabic-language talk show gives Arab youth a space to speak and express themselves on everything from religion to sex. Qatar
Turkish troops cross Syrian border near Afrin Turkey, after bombing Afrin, moves troops across the Syrian border near the Kurdish-controlled area. Syria
Turkey plays catch-up with militarization in Red Sea A scramble for military influence along the Red Sea could lead to a trade disaster as Turkey also looks to establish a military foothold in the area. United Arab Emirates
Turkey upends US Syria strategy with attack on YPG Ankara seeks green light from Moscow, not Washington, in attack on US partner; UN warns of consequences of continued fighting in Eastern Ghouta and Idlib; local council in Aleppo confiscates land of Islamic State families. Syria
Pentagon says confronting Iran now tops terrorism concerns As the Pentagon shifts its focus from terrorism to competing against China and Russia, the US military will also look to counter nations that are deemed hostile, such as Iran. Syria
Why is Turkey so worried about border guards? A CIA-trained border force in northern Syria would mean the institutionalization and legitimization of a Kurdish-led military body on Turkey’s border. Syria
As corruption probe continues, Israeli police must set the record straight The media and social networks are flooded with reports about the various police investigations involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, some of them outright contradictory. Israel
