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
'Peace Radio' inspires Iraq's refugees and displaced Radio Salam in northern Iraq focuses on the refugees and displaced in Iraq to spread hope and peace among them. Iraq
Yemeni expats find sisterhood, escapism on Beirut roller derby track Despite bruises and broken ankles, a dozen young women from different countries are determined to keep up the first roller derby club in Beirut. Yemen
Egypt’s role in the push to cut off Qatar With three Gulf states revolting against Qatar's regional policies, Egypt has found the perfect opportunity to sever ties with Qatar after four years of political bickering. Saudi Arabia
Trump’s 7 guidelines for relaunching Israeli-Palestinian talks Instead of specific terms of reference, US President Donald Trump is reshaping rather vague guideline principles, creating a symmetry between Israeli and Palestinian interests. Palestine
The occupation at 50: No end in sight for Palestinians The Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories will not end until world powers convince Israel that their is an economic and political price to pay for sustaining it. Palestine
Hamas could be next victim of Qatari-Gulf brawl Qatar politely sent some Hamas leaders packing after several nations, including Saudi Arabia, cut diplomatic ties with Doha. Saudi Arabia
Cairo cracks down on rivals ahead of presidential vote As the Egyptian presidential elections approach in June 2018, members of political parties are arrested, including lawyer and former presidential candidate Khaled Ali, who may run for president again. Egypt
Learning the language of occupation The terms used by Israeli politicians and settlers to describe Israeli rule of the West Bank perpetuates the occupation, brainwashes Israelis and ignores Palestinian suffering. Palestine
In Israel, battle for Labor leadership gets dirty As the Israeli Labor Party prepares to chose its next leader, centrist leader Yair Lapid has already positioned himself as the front-runner against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the next elections. Israel
Russia’s reading on what’s at stake in Qatar crisis Moscow has pricked up its ears as Qatar’s diplomacy problems grow more raucous. Legacy: Gulf
Turkey scrambles for regional footing as Qatar debacle expands Head-spinning developments in the region have lead to interesting realignments as a cautious President Recep Tayyip Erdogan works to deploy Turkish forces in Qatar and meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Ankara. Qatar
Teaching of gender equality sparks infighting in Iran Infighting over the implementation of UNESCO’s 2030 education agenda continues in Iran. Iran
