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
Last IS-held Iraqi town retaken amid car bombs, IEDs Iraqi security forces seized Rawa, the last Islamic State-held town located in Anbar province, after a circuitous and dangerous journey to their destination. Iraq
Palestinians point finger at Israel for crisis with US Palestinians blame Israel's ambassador to the United States for acting to close the PLO Washington office. Palestine
Children's book brings Lebanese proverbs to life Author Caroline Torbey spent her childhood trying to understand her Lebanese father’s colorful Arabic filled with proverbs, so she created a children’s book to share what she learned with a new generation. Lebanon
Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry struggles with smuggling Egypt is taking new steps to protect its antiquities against theft in a battle that has been waged since tomb raiders plundered the resting places of pharaohs thousands of years ago. Egypt
Parallel legal systems pose threat to Palestinian unity Laws and decisions issued separately in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the split will be raised in the upcoming days by the reconciliation committee. Palestine
Can Lebanon handle truth about Hariri, Saudi Arabia? Saad Hariri faces his own court of conscience; US-Iran relations revert to axis of evil days. Saudi Arabia
Iran emerges as health tourism destination An increasing number of foreign visitors enter Iran to either undergo medical treatment at specialized hospitals or to make use of traditional medicine. Iran
Russia's winning the war for Turkish public's trust Aided by the West's growing irritation with and neglect of Ankara, Moscow is convincing the Turkish public that Russia is its most reliable defense and security ally. Turkey
Why Erdogan now embraces Ataturk Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not claiming to undo Ataturk as many believe. He is rather re-doing Ataturk. Turkey
How is parliament supporting Sisi candidacy in 2018 elections? Members of Egypt's parliament took part in the "To build it" campaign and worked on postponing the discussion and approval of some draft laws that would negatively affect President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's popularity, as part of the efforts to endorse his candidacy for a second presidential term. Egypt
How Saudi regional moves impact Israel The Saudi desire to change its role from a behind-the-scenes player to a forefront leader pushes it to engage in the US-led Mideast peace initiative. Saudi Arabia
Fear of extinction pushes Basra’s Christians to isolation In light of the threats of extremists over recent years, Christians in Basra lack confidence in the local authorities for securing their safety. Iraq
