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
Why was only one Palestinian publishing house at Cairo book fair? The Cairo International Book Fair, the most prominent in the Arab world, saw the attendance of only one Palestinian publishing house, among dozens of other Arab and international publishers. Palestine
Saudi clerics keep mum about concerts in the kingdom The new open-minded tendencies of the Saudi Royal Court are causing controversy with the conservative religious establishment in the kingdom, especially concerning concerts. Saudi Arabia
Palestinian Christians learn iconography The Bethlehem Icon Center is seeking to revive iconography that originated in Palestine, by offering classes for Palestinians and foreigners eager to learn this ancient Christian form of art. Palestine
Sisi’s call to annul verbal divorce sparks controversy Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for new legislation to limit verbal divorce, raising the ire of Egyptians who believe the president should prioritize economic issues. Egypt
Why Iranian government’s debt problem isn’t going away Despite the Iranian government’s decision to repay billions of dollars owed to local banks, in the broader picture, it will remain saddled with problematic debt until it turns to bonds rather than loans for financing. Iran
Egyptian court contradicts church over Jerusalem pilgrimage ban An Egyptian court issued a ruling whereby Christian employees are allowed a one-month paid vacation to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem, which some see as normalizing relations with Israel. Palestine
Pint-sized tour guides take lead in Egyptian museums Egypt's new Young Guide program educates and trains children to guide tours at several archaeological locations, leaving them with an enhanced sense of respect, appreciation and responsibility for their nation's treasures. Egypt
Will Turkey get its way in Raqqa? Turkey is trying to balance its precarious relationships with the United States and Russia while still getting what it wants in Syria. Iraq
What EU shift in financial support policy means for Gaza The European Union contribution of 30 million euros to pay the salaries of Palestinian Authority civil servants in the Gaza Strip will be used to support families in need, which has angered Palestinians. Palestine
Who is involved in killing of Baghdad demonstrators? The political crisis has escalated significantly in Iraq after security forces grew violent against protesters. Iraq
Erdogan banks on motley crew of Syrian armed groups Turkey’s Syria partners seen as "ill-disciplined, untrained and inexperienced"; Erodgan links opposition to referendum to coup plotters; Mattis rules out US-Russia military cooperation "for now." Syria
Egypt turns to Japanese model to reform education Egypt, whose educational system is seen as widely lacking, is seeking to invigorate its school system by adopting aspects of the Japanese whole child educational model. Egypt
![CORRECTION - Saudis attend a concert in Jeddah on January 30, 2017.
Saudi Arabia's "Paul McCartney" took to the stage as the kingdom seeks to boost entertainment despite religious warnings of "depravity." The performance was the first major concert in seven years in the kingdom's second city, according to Arab News.
/ AFP / Amer HILABI / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by AMER HILABI has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [AMER HILABI] instead of [AMEER A](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/02/GettyImages-633149294.jpg/GettyImages-633149294.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=xjCT7CvK)
