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
Palestinian photographer devotes decade to capturing life in Gaza An exhibition of 1,000 photographs shows the work of Palestinian photographer Fadi Thabet, who has worked for 10 years to capture the beauty of the people in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Ai Weiwei highlights survival in Jerusalem exhibition Ai Weiwei’s first exhibition at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, “Maybe, Maybe Not,” features iron trees, hand-painted seeds and a tribute to a tiger who was in the Khan Yunis zoo. Palestine
Netanyahu's rash decision on Temple Mount sparks speculation Is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu letting the Temple Mount crisis simmer to deflect attention from the scandals swirling around him? Palestine
Israeli-Palestinian water pact raises hopes, suspicions Israelis and Palestinians have reached a water supply agreement, though some worry such economic deals might become a poor substitute for a true peace settlement. Palestine
Water pictured around Renaissance Dam alarms Egyptians As negotiations to complete the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam studies remain stalled, satellite images show water pooling around the dam, raising Egyptian suspicions of unauthorized storage. Egypt
PA, Israel security coordination out as Temple Mount crisis continues Tensions over the current Temple Mount crisis have reached unprecedented levels as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas terminated the enduring security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Palestine
Fatwa on the go: Egypt’s Al-Azhar sets up shop in Cairo metro While Egypt’s Al-Azhar says its recently installed kiosk offering fatwas to subway commuters is aimed at countering extremism, some see it as a sign of increasing religiosity in the country. Egypt
Iranian TV series dogged by real-life drama "Shahrzad," one of the most popular and expensive TV series in Iran, has been confronted with a huge campaign to stop it after its producer was mixed up in allegations of corruption. Iran
Trump administration looks to Oman for help navigating Middle East US officials, while wary about Oman's ties with Iran, seek Oman's assistance in resolving Qatar dispute. Legacy: Gulf
Will Netanyahu enforce Syrian red line against Iran? Israel opposes cease-fire plan, as Russia, Turkey and Syria inch toward possible agreement on Afrin. Syria
With IS on the way out, Iraqi power struggles pose major threat As Iraq struggles to contain pockets of Islamic State resistance following the liberation of Mosul, political differences and a power struggle between domestic groups threaten more conflict. Iraq
Tillerson calls on Saudi bloc to lift blockade on Qatar The US secretary of state, after meeting Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi today in Washington, called for the lifting of the blockade on Qatar as a sign of good faith. Legacy: Gulf
