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
Cairo's zoo falls into neglect Giza Zoo, once considered one of the best zoos in the world, is struggling to improve conditions for animals as well as visitors after losing international accreditation. Egypt
Authorities nix notion of bitcoin banking in Egypt Egyptian banking experts agree on the risks of trading in bitcoin, and central bank authorities say they have no plans to authorize the virtual currency's use. Egypt
Israel-Hamas prisoner exchange deal 'closer than ever' Israel and Hamas finally appear to be making progress on a prisoner exchange deal mediated by Egypt and Mohammed Dahlan. Palestine
UNESCO's Hebron resolution hurts Israeli-Palestinian peace process UNESCO resolutions recognizing the Palestinians' connections to Jerusalem and Hebron holy sites only empower the Israeli right in its refusal to negotiate. Palestine
Egypt's traditional water jugs get makeover Two young Egyptian artists established the Shababik project to modernize the look of traditional household items in Egypt's homes. Egypt
Pentagon receptive to Tunisian lobbying against proposed Trump aid cut Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed visited the Pentagon to push back against proposed military aid cuts. Tunisia
Dueling critics find US, Russia too cozy — or too far apart The US and Russian presidents covered a lot of ground — including the conflict in Syria — during their unexpectedly long meeting last week, and while the countries’ future relations remain uncertain, the men agreed to disagree on some fronts. Syria
Egyptian troupe revives art of musical sketches Egyptian troupe Masr al-Qadimah aims to revive the sociopolitical wisdom of musical sketches of the past. Egypt
No time for rest as Turkey's Justice March reaches Istanbul The Turkish opposition's Justice March has ended in a triumphant rally of over a million people, but can Kilicdaroglu leverage the march into a coalition broad enough to challenge the Justice and Development Party in the 2019 elections? Turkey
Iran congratulates Iraqis on Mosul liberation A number of Iranian officials congratulated the Iraqi people and the army for the liberation of Mosul, underlying the importance of good relations between the two countries. Iraq
Iranian Principlists maneuver to contain hard-liners Most Principlists are actively working to contain radicals within their camp, but their endeavor isn’t being helped by pride among Reformists riding on the back of consecutive electoral successes. Iran
Erdogan readies for show of strength on anniversary of botched coup The ceremonies planned for the anniversary of last year’s coup attempt in Turkey represent not only a condemnation of military coups but also a drive to sanctify the new political order that Ankara has sought to install since the putsch. Turkey
