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
Iraqi civil society groups seek to restock Mosul libraries Civil society organizations and cultural institutions are rushing to supply two libraries in Mosul with books, publications and periodicals. Iraq
Trump administration plans to slash US aid for Tunisia The Donald Trump administration’s proposed budget for Tunisia shrinks aid by 70%, representing a threat to Tunisia’s democratic gains. Tunisia
Bonanza for Palestinian businesses as Ramadan travel permits canceled While Israel’s cancellation of travel permits to some 200,000 Palestinians during the end of the month of Ramadan was a setback to the plans of many, it was a blessing in disguise for local entrepreneurs, restaurants and resorts. Palestine
Egypt's Copts have no plans to arm youth groups Before the news was shown to be false, jumpy Egyptians were unnerved by a report about Christian youth groups receiving military training to protect their churches. Egypt
How Israel’s education minister inserts ideology into schools Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett is working diligently to insert nationalistic and right-wing ideology contents into the schools’ curricula. Israel
Iranians divided over new Senate sanctions Iranian officials and scholars disagree on whether the US Senate’s new sanctions bill against the Islamic Republic violates the nuclear deal. United States
Syrian music lives in the streets of Beirut Global Week for Syria in Lebanon brings together Syrian musicians, as well as refugee children who take to the streets to sing. Lebanon
Does the US have answer for Turkish threats against Syrian Kurds? Turkey also seeks sway in Salafi-controlled Idlib; Hamas inches closer to Iran, Hezbollah. Palestine
How Turkey fits into the Qatar puzzle Turkey's military presence in Qatar seems to be complicating an already complex situation for the coalition that recently cut ties with Doha. Legacy: Gulf
Egypt’s ‘leg-ironers’ fear their craft is running out of steam Because of modern ironing methods and steam irons in many households, Upper Egypt's leg-ironers are worried that their profession may become extinct. Egypt
Turkey’s oldest indigenous culture fears extinction Syriac Christians fear land dispute in Turkey threatens ancient culture’s survival. Turkey
Iraq accelerates work on its virtual national museum The Virtual Museum of Iraq, which has been a work in progress since 2005, aims to bring Iraqi heritage and archaeological artifacts online by the end of 2018. Iraq
