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
Celebrity incest scandal yanks abuse out from under Turkish rug A scandal over a celebrity’s incestuous relationship has forced Turkey to discuss its dark secrets about widespread abuse. Turkey
Despite tension, Syrian refugees find sympathy in Lebanese villages While Lebanon’s impoverished border towns are generally more concerned with pre-existing hardships than those brought by Syrian refugees, some xenophobia has crept into these areas. Lebanon
Israel's construction sector deadly for Arab workers Lawyer Hadas Tagari is collecting and publishing data on the troubling number of deaths in Israel's construction sector, mainly among Arab laborers, to bring attention to the problem. Palestine
Churches reject attempts to weaken Christian presence in Jerusalem As the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is stalled and the Israeli right-wing government is working to expand settlements, Jerusalem-based churches find themselves once again in the spotlight with talks about them selling lands to Israel. Palestine
Controversy erupts over women's role in political life in Egypt The head of Egypt's National Council for Women, a government body dedicated to addressing women's issues, has stirred controversy by requesting that party leaders resign from the group. Egypt
New Suez Canal income slowly sinking The new Suez Canal is now two years old and facing public scrutiny, as it is far from achieving what officials pledged. Egypt
Rights organizations rally to reveal fate of Syria’s disappeared As the number of disappeared has reached more than 75,000 people in Syria, Amnesty International launched a campaign urging the Syrian authorities and armed groups to reveal their fate. Lebanon
Egypt busts organ trafficking network As Egypt fields more reports of organ trafficking, parliament boosts punishments. Egypt
Israel's worst-ever opposition Israel's opposition needs to take a page from Ehud Barak in how to turn the screws on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu given his glaring vulnerabilities. Israel
Egypt looks to Europe to help solve Renaissance Dam crisis Egypt and Germany have recently signed a cooperation agreement to fight illegal immigration to Europe, with Cairo hoping such a deal would garner European support regarding its dispute with Ethiopia over the Renaissance Dam. Egypt
Is Abbas under international pressure to relieve Gaza? Recent actions by President Mahmoud Abbas to relieve sanctions imposed on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip may indicate pressure is being applied from the European Union. Palestine
Netanyahu cries foul as court protects asylum-seekers from indefinite detention Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is framing a recent ruling to limit detention periods for asylum-seekers as further evidence of the threat they pose to Israeli society. Israel
