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 Turkey-Iran trade deal collapsed in two years Mutual tariff cuts and the lifting of international sanctions on Iran have failed to contain the decline in Turkish-Iranian trade, hit hard by regional rivalry and political tensions between the two neighbors. Turkey
Egyptian initiative encourages young women to travel the world — alone Launched in 2015, the "Travel with Shee" initiative organizes monthly workshops in Cairo and Alexandria to encourage young Egyptian women to ignore social, family and religious constraints and go see the world. Egypt
Egypt-Fatah tensions come to a head at Cairo airport Egypt denied senior Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub entry into the country, raising concerns about Cairo's support of Mohammed Dahlan as successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Palestine
Why Israel arrested Hamas-affiliated MPs in West Bank This week Israel arrested Hamas member of parliament Samira Halaika in an attempt to pressure Hamas into a prisoner exchange deal. Palestine
Gaza's all-female cafe, a breath of fresh air Three women from Gaza opened an all-female cafe in the center of Gaza City, where women can gather, relax and laugh without the judgmental looks they get in mixed restaurants. Palestine
Egypt's religious institutions to offer couples premarital sex ed To curb divorce rates, Egypt's Dar al-Ifta is offering a marriage preparation program for would-be couples, including sex education. Egypt
Efforts to privatize electricity face resistance in Iraq Five southern provinces objected to the Iraqi government's decision to privatize the electricity sector in the country. Iraq
Despite massive setbacks, IS still bares its fangs in Iraq As it is losing ground in Mosul, the Islamic State is carrying out attacks against Iraqi security and civilian targets elsewhere to preserve its presence in Iraq. Iraq
Can new mobile app help solve Egypt's environmental problems? A new mobile application aimed at collecting and recycling e-waste may face obstacles in Egypt because of a lack of awareness about the importance of recycling and protecting the environment. Egypt
Baghdad-Erbil oil disputes on hold until Mosul liberation Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi spoke to Al-Monitor about production and revenue-sharing disputes between Baghdad and Erbil, and addressed plans to attract foreign investors to the country’s energy sector. Iraq
Congress prepares for another showdown over Saudi arms sales Senators of both parties are determined to keep US bombs out of Yemen. Saudi Arabia
Zarif visits Qatar as Iran, Saudi Arabia continue hajj talks Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif traveled to Qatar to discuss bilateral relations after a flurry of diplomatic activity recently between Iran and Gulf Cooperation Council member states. Saudi Arabia
