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
Is Trump's Mideast initiative one-sided? Palestinians worry that US President Donald Trump is pressuring the pragmatic Sunni leadership to accept an American plan that would be closer to the Israeli position than to the Palestinian one. Saudi Arabia
Electoral reforms offer Lebanese expats chance to exercise voting rights Thousands of Lebanese expatriates registered to vote in next year's parliamentary elections through a new online platform, giving them the chance to shape the first legislature elected by a system of proportional representation. Lebanon
Women join opposition police forces in Aleppo’s liberated areas With the help of Turkish trainers, the first batch of policewomen graduated from the opposition’s National Police and Public Security Forces in the areas liberated during Operation Euphrates Shield in the countryside of Aleppo. Syria
Inside Egypt’s first nuclear school Dozens of students are set to start their training at Egypt’s new technical school for peaceful nuclear technology in El Dabaa, which some see as useless given the high number of technical schools spread across the country. Egypt
Lively parties bring West Africa to Beirut club scene In Lebanon, where West African culture is mostly associated with disenfranchised groups, a group of students has decided to shake things up. Lebanon
Israel's 'new ultra-Orthodox' Parallel to the increase in the number of ultra-Orthodox integrated in the labor market, ultra-Orthodox voters increasingly turn toward mainstream parties. Israel
Trump eyes Iran hawk to replace Tillerson The US president is said to want CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who has advocated bombing Iran’s nuclear program, to become America’s top diplomat. United States
With killing of Iranian-American, Iran turns tables on US The killing of an Iranian-American by American police has been condemned by Iranian officials. United States
Long road ahead for Iran’s medicinal plants industry Once the world’s top exporter of medicinal plants, Iran now faces a multitude of obstacles to keep this industry on track. Iran
Zarrab fingers Erdogan in NY trial bombshell Iranian-Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab, testifying before a New York jury, has implicated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his former economy minister in a massive sanctions-busting scheme as Turkey does its frantic best to spin the story at home. Turkey
Turkey squeezed between American hammer, Russian anvil on Syrian stage The Kurdish issue is only one of the catalysts to indicate Turkey’s weakened posture in Syria, the Middle East and the world. Syria
Israeli Bedouin policewoman blazing trail, making enemies An Israeli Bedouin woman who joined the Israel Police to serve her community has become the target of Arabs who consider her a traitor. Israel
