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
Popular Egyptian TV show takes advantage of social media drama All the world's a stage when it comes to social media, and a new TV series points out why that can be dangerous, while at the same time entertaining Egyptians and garnering high ratings. Egypt
Self-immolations on the rise among Iraqi Kurdish women Despite the colorful image painted to the outside world of female peshmerga forces contributing to the fight in Iraqi Kurdistan, some women in the region are facing extensive oppression and violence. Iraq
Why Iran-Turkey tension won’t spiral out of control Despite the increasing verbal confrontations between Iran and Turkey, tension between the neighbors is unlikely to spiral out of control. Turkey
Will Turks in Europe bear brunt of Erdogan's outbursts? While the Netherlands is Turkey's latest target of tough rhetoric, the millions of ethnic Turks in Europe could face a future that is uncertain and more difficult than it already is for them right now. Turkey
Zarif gives Netanyahu lesson in Jewish scripture Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments on ancient Persia have angered Iranian officials. Israel
Is Trump planning a two-state regional conference? In order to “close a deal’’ between Israel and the Palestinians, President Donald Trump wants to convene a regional two-state conference later in the year. Palestine
How 'complete' is normalization between Russia, Turkey? Russia and Turkey recently agreed to cooperate in several significant areas, but there's still some question about how far their friendship extends. Turkey
The art of hand clapping makes comeback in Egypt The Arab folk art of hand clapping was on the verge of dying out, but a musical group in Egypt has revived the practice. Egypt
Henna-adorned hands give voice to Turkish referendum opponents A female politician with an ultranationalist background rocks the social and political scene on International Women’s Day using a simple flag designed on her palm with henna. Turkey
What does double-digit inflation mean for Turkey? The accelerating pace of Turkey’s inflation threatens significant erosion in most forms of income on which the country’s population lives. Turkey
Extremist expansion in southern Syria puts Jordan on guard The expansion of radical Islamist factions in southern Syria has raised concerns from Jordan that these groups would pledge allegiance to the Islamic State and seek to establish an emirate on its northern borders. Jordan
US puts off announcing decision on Raqqa until after Turkey referendum The US military wants to work with local forces against the Islamic State in Raqqa, but still is working out many of the details, including who should hold what ground after IS is defeated. Israel
