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
Has Israeli left given up on two states? Israel’s left no longer preaches for coexistence, dialogue or reconciliation, and focuses only on separating the two peoples through unilateral measures. Palestine
New planes won't solve Iran's aviation dilemma Despite its great potential and the imminent influx of new aircraft, Iran's aviation sector is likely to remain anemic unless there is a genuine shift in the business approach. Iran
Gaza's electricity protests are bold sign of dissent Qatar pledged to donate $12 million to help ease the Gaza Strip's electricity crisis, following a wave of massive protests against Hamas' ineffectual running of the electricity sector in the Strip. Qatar
Why Gazan authors are moving to Egypt Egypt remains the No. 1 destination for Arab authors in general, and Gazan authors in particular, due to its cultural and scientific stature. Palestine
Gaza’s autistic children master art of origami Parents of children with autism in the Gaza Strip have discovered their kids’ hidden talent to fold papers. Palestine
Egypt’s cross-border psychological support for Syrians A number of Egyptian psychiatrists have launched an online initiative to help Syrians who are suffering from psychological problems as a result of the ongoing war in their country. Egypt
How Egypt is trying to stop looting at ancient mosques Islamic archaeological monuments are constantly subjected to looting, and the Ministry of State for Antiquities has responded by ordering the contents of an ancient mosque be transferred to the ministry’s warehouses. Egypt
Did Hamas hack the IDF? Israeli army officials claim that some of its soldiers were duped by fake Facebook accounts set up by Hamas, which then hacked soldiers' phones and obtained sensitive intelligence information. Palestine
Confusion over US presence at Astana Syria talks A Russian invitation to the Trump transition team to send a representative to Syria peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana Jan. 23 has caused confusion and revealed limited interactions between the incoming and outgoing US administrations. Syria
Egypt’s graffiti artists struggle to bring women to street walls The Women on Walls project is supporting female graffiti artists, who are still facing many challenges, including sexual harassment, when creating art on the streets in Egypt. Egypt
At Arab Spring commission, Tunisians speak of incomplete revolution At Tunisia's third Truth and Dignity Commission, many young speakers testified about human rights abuses that occurred during the 2011 revolution and continue to this day. Tunisia
Trump's UN nominee reassures advocates of Iran deal, two-state solution South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley offered a measured counterpoint to Donald Trump's inflamed rhetoric during her confirmation hearing Jan. 18. Palestine
