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
Herbal medicine industry flourishing in Gaza Strip Gazans believe that herbal medicine is a better option for the public health and the citizen’s pockets in light of the decadelong Israeli siege. Palestine
Israeli volunteers drive sick Gazans from border to hospital Every day, Israeli volunteers drive Gazan medical patients, including children sick with cancer, from the Gaza border checkpoint to hospitals in Israel. Palestine
Egyptian court issues verdict to prosecute Israel Egypt's High Administrative Court court issued a verdict forcing the government to take necessary legal measures against Israel over its killing and torture of Egyptian soldiers captured during the 1956 and 1967 wars. Egypt
Will debt and poor financial prospects close Gaza's Al-Azhar Institute? Al-Azhar's administration is calling for funds in the face of declining enrollment and rising debt. Palestine
The Israeli right's 'flattery fest' for Amona Before, during and after the evacuation of the illegal Amona outpost, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers groveled to the right-wing factions of the settler movement. Palestine
Sundance Film Festival shines light on Aleppo The documentary "Last Men in Aleppo," which captured the suffering of the city's residents in the Syrian civil war, was honored with a top award at the Sundance Film Festival. Syria
Will Mosul see peace post-Islamic State? While the number of internally displaced persons returning to Mosul has increased significantly recently, the city's residents wonder when they can live in peace again. Iraq
Congress takes aim at UN over Israel stance Lawmakers are preparing a slew of measures aimed at curbing what they see as anti-Israel discrimination at the United Nations. Palestine
Female entrepreneurs seek solutions to Egypt's traffic woes Female entrepreneurs in Egypt have launched carpooling apps to help ease the daily burden of traffic. Egypt
Iran brushes off being 'put on notice' Iranian officials are downplaying threatening and critical remarks by the Trump administration, calling them “hollow threats.” United States
Will Turkey's new inflation calculations impact more than just economy? Realizing that double-digit inflation could negatively affect the upcoming presidential system referendum, Turkey has changed its method of calculating the inflation rate. Turkey
Will digital platforms revolutionize Turkish TV series? BluTV and Puhu TV, two Turkish companies that provide online broadcast content to their subscribers, have for the first time produced original TV shows. In Turkey, the change of switching from conventional TV to internet for watching shows will be gradual, but the potential is huge. Turkey
