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
Turkish candy giant gets not-so-sweet reaction to April Fools' Day ad Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s supporters detected hidden message for a new military coup in a TV ad by Ulker, Turkey’s biggest chocolate company. Turkey
Why Iran-Iraq War is still minefield for artists Some 30 years on, depictions of the Iran-Iraq War are still a minefield for Iranian artists and authors. Iraq
Iranian media reacts to Russia subway bombing Iranian media outlets speculate that IS and other militant groups are taking revenge on Russia following their defeats in Iraq and Syria. Syria
'Inhuman' chemical attack tests Turkey's relations with Russia An apparent chemical attack has ravaged a small rebel-held Syrian town and Turkey has found itself in the middle of the aftermath, torn between supporting anti-Assad rebels and its need to ally with Russia. Syria
Palestinian teachers seize golden opportunity in Kuwait Kuwait’s call to hire Palestinian teachers in its schools lifted the hopes of 1,173 Palestinians who are seeking an opportunity to secure decent pay for the future. Kuwait
How Palestine is working to stop antiquities theft Thousands of artifacts that were smuggled outside the Palestinian territories have been seized in the past years as part of the Palestinian government’s efforts to put a stop to illegal excavations and antiquities trade. Palestine
Agreement averts financial crisis at Gaza's Al-Aqsa University The ministries of education in Gaza and the West Bank reached an agreement to end the standoff at Al-Aqsa University over administrative appointments, which had put the education of thousands of students in jeopardy. Palestine
How this mentoring program is empowering young Arab women The Big Sister/Little Sister guidance program launched in the Gaza Strip and Beirut helps young girls talk about social issues and empowers them to overcome harsh societal challenges in their lives. Palestine
What's behind Kurdish organizations being shut down in Syria? The democratic self-rule administration in northern Syria closed the offices of dozens of unlicensed organizations in a move deemed to have political motivations. Iraq
Rift between right, left in Israel reaches new heights A new study shows that 22.5% of Israeli Jews consider the political left to be "dangerous." Israel
Dismissed Fatah leader rules out reconciliation with Abbas In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Mohammed Dahlan confirmed that reconciliation efforts with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are currently stalled and warned that Abbas' internal weakness would reflect the fragility of his political position vis-a-vis the Israelis. Palestine
Can Turkey afford new battlefront in Iraq? Turkey has labeled Operation Euphrates Shield a "success" and put it to bed, leaving observers to wonder about the Turkish military's next ambitions. Syria
