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
How Erdogan uses Turkey's mosques to push 'yes' vote With the battle over Turkey's constitutional referendum, state-paid imams have become Erdogan’s best advocates for the 'yes' campaign. Turkey
Is Israel prepared for all missile threats? Israel's now-operational David Sling’s medium-range missile defense system, along with the rest of its arsenal, should assist the country in protecting itself against any coordinated attack by Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Iran. Palestine
What it's like to use Facebook from inside a Gaza prison It's more than just liking photos and online check-ins; the Gaza Central Prison recently granted access to Facebook for 10 of its prisoners. Palestine
Iraqis demand action as popular archaeological site neglected To celebrate spring, many Iraqis travel to the ziggurat of Dur-Kurigalzu, an ancient city, but they are noticing that the famous archaeological site is falling into ruin as the government is not making any effort to protect it. Iraq
Could cemeteries resurrect Egypt's tourism industry? Egypt's Ministry of Tourism is being urged to promote interest in the country's 16 cemeteries for commonwealth military victims of the world wars. Egypt
Why are Sylvester Stallone, Salma Hayek, Will Smith visiting Egypt? Egypt’s Tourism Ministry is investing in a “tourism of stars” to try to revive the tourism sector by bringing A-list celebrities to the country. Egypt
See Palestine by donkey Five young Palestinians are organizing tours of Nablus on donkeys to promote domestic tourism and the traditions of their ancestors. Palestine
Israel warns that Gaza will face power supply crisis An Israeli major general has said that Gaza will face an imminent humanitarian crisis because of a shortage of diesel fuel that is needed to run its only power station. Qatar
Israel moves forward with barrier to block Hamas tunnels As Israel prepares to erect underground barriers to prevent Hamas from digging tunnels, some worry that the movement will act to obstruct its construction. Palestine
Will US missile strike shift Iran-Russia partnership in Syria? The US military strike on a Syrian air base has created room at the table for more Russian and Iranian cooperation in Syria as the last allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad standing. Syria
West Bank cafe transports customers to Damascus The Demashq cafe in the West Bank city of Jenin mimics the architecture and atmosphere of a traditional Damascus cafe, taking customers back to the days of a peaceful Syria. Palestine
Sights, tastes of India charm Egypt in popular festival Egypt's fifth annual Indian cultural festival is attracting enthusiastic crowds in a celebration of friendship and strengthening ties between Cairo and New Delhi. Egypt
