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 civil society organizations aim to empower women The 2017 Women's Leadership Incubator project will empower a team of civil society organizations in the Gaza Strip to strengthen their staff’s sensitivity and response to the needs and rights of marginalized women. Palestine
Jerusalem's African community stands with Al-Aqsa Jerusalem's African community, with its deep roots in the city, was active in the recent protests at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Palestine
Bill allowing Turkish muftis to perform civil marriages stokes concern Turkey's ruling party has introduced legislation authorizing muftis to perform civil marriages, a law critics fear would make it much harder to protect children. Turkey
Iranians find shortcut to EU visas Iranians are finding it almost impossible to get a visa to EU countries these days unless they seek assistance from intermediaries known as “visa mafias." Iran
Turkey’s political parties hit each other with coup allegations The Justice and Development Party government and its supporters are using a Republican People’s Party lawmaker's comments to steal the main opposition party’s thunder. Turkey
Egyptian, Chinese pottery makers compare techniques Pottery workshop in Old Cairo by Chinese and Egyptian artists highlights the different techniques in creating clay artifacts and everyday objects. Egypt
Rouhani’s proposed second-term Cabinet draws ire Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's proposed second-term Cabinet draws criticism from both moderates and Reformists. Iran
Egypt's middle class gets creative to cope with economic crunch As Egypt's economy suffers and inflation soars, middle class citizens are turning to Airbnb, Uber and other nontraditional means of earning extra income. Egypt
Turkey hints at new operation in Syria Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raises the stakes in Syria by hinting that Ankara will launch a new incursion to build on its previous one. Syria
Are Israelis indifferent to corruption around Netanyahu? Despite political corruption, Israelis keep backing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in polls. Israel
Egypt’s outer space ambitions face real world setbacks While Egyptian officials have said that the country’s first space agency would be launched in September 2018, the law to create it has not been introduced in parliament yet, to many Egyptians' chagrin. United Arab Emirates
With tourism in decline, Egypt hopes to repurpose former hotspot An Egyptian member of parliament has completed a study on the establishment of a free trade zone in the tourist city of Sharm el-Sheikh, which many criticized for its potentially harmful effects on tourism. Egypt
