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
Is Sufism answer to extremism in Egypt? Sufism may well be a tool to spread values opposing extremism in Egypt, but Egyptian Sufis also view their politics through the lens of an existential crisis. Egypt
Will Egypt start charging citizens to use Facebook? Egypt's parliament is considering a bill to control the use of social media platforms such as Facebook in the name of fighting terrorism and tracking cybercrime. Culture & Society
How Palestinian filmmakers are promoting their message in Egypt The third edition of the Palestinian Film Week screened 17 films and documentaries about the lives of the Palestinian people, to shed light on their suffering and revive the Palestinian cause in the world. Palestine
Could Israel’s Bennett become next leader of the right? HaBayit HaYehudi head Naftali Bennett has won his party’s leadership, but his victory doesn't open a direct path to that of the right-wing camp. Israel
How Egypt hopes to protect, educate street children Egypt wants to save its street children and bank on them as a future workforce to develop the society. Egypt
Anti-Palestinian caucus divides pro-Israel camp on Capitol Hill A handful of conservative Republicans have launched a congressional group dedicated to forcing the Palestinians to admit their "defeat." Palestine
White House still quiet on Turkish airstrike in run-up to Erdogan visit The general US reactions to Turkish airstrikes in Syria have been loud, but the White House has yet to utter a single rebuke as Turkey's president packs for Washington. Syria
Can Turkey disprove IMF's dismal economic growth forecast? The International Monetary Fund expects the Turkish economy to further slow down in 2017, but Ankara believes it can disprove the forecast. Turkey
Trump's generals wonder: What comes after Raqqa? A senior US official says Turkish bombing of Syrian Kurdish forces is adding a new level of complexity to US efforts to defeat the Islamic State and retake Raqqa. Iraq
Conservative presidential candidate paints bleak picture of Iran Ebrahim Raisi expressed support for economic policies that led to high inflation in Iran. Iran
Does Iran's Khamenei really have a preferred candidate? Ebrahim Raisi has been depicted as the Iranian supreme leader's candidate in both Western and Iranian media — but does Ayatollah Ali Khamenei really have a preference? Iran
Saudis seek renewed relations with US under Trump The Saudis want US President Donald Trump to reconsider policies made during the Obama administration, especially regarding Iran, which they say has not changed its conduct since the nuclear deal. Saudi Arabia
