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
Will Turkey's negative growth rates lead to political crisis? Early indicators show that Turkey's economy has begun to contract in the third quarter for the first time since 2009, raising the threat of political consequences for the AKP. Turkey
Why Turkey's Islamists are up in arms over bikini-clad sculpture An Ottoman sultan's image, painted on a sculpture of a woman's belly, draws the scrutiny and ire of young Muslims. Turkey
Why these Gazan inmates are picking up a pen behind bars Nine inmates in the correctional and rehabilitation center in the Gaza Strip joined the project to handwrite the holy Quran using Uthmanic calligraphy in an effort to obtain privileges in prison and have their sentences reduced. Palestine
How modern art is helping bridge Arab-Iranian divide A rare exhibition is bringing together Iranian and Arab modern art at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, presenting a unique opportunity for cultural diplomacy. United Arab Emirates
The trouble with Israel's deputy minister Israeli security officials accuse Deputy Minister Ayoob Kara of revealing an affair under gag order, thus endangering lives. Israel
Iraqi students forced to study without textbooks Iraq's Ministry of Education has failed to provide Iraqi students with their textbooks because of corruption and negligence. Iraq
Half a million Palestinian children send letters to Ban Ki-moon Half a million Palestinians wrote letters to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as part of a campaign to shed light on Israel’s detention of Palestinian children. Palestine
Why Palestinians are unfazed by calls to cut off US aid Palestinians don't appear to be fazed by the calls of the Trump administration to cut off aid to the Palestinian government, as some feel that this could be a political relief from Washington pressures. Palestine
Hamas blames Abbas in stalemate over PLO reform Reform of the Palestine Liberation Organization remains at an impasse among the various Palestinian factions as pressure builds against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Palestine
Top Senate Democrat challenges Trump on Russia, Iran Senate Foreign Relations Comittee ranking member Ben Cardin laid out a foreign policy platform for the Trump era. Congress
Israel's new man in Ankara could be in for bumpy ride The choice of prominent diplomat Eitan Naeh as Israel’s ambassador to Turkey is a clear sign of the importance his government places on fixing the relationship, but though he's being magnanimously received in Turkey, he'll have his hands full clearing the path to normalization. Israel
Tehran’s air pollution fuels political quarreling The Iranian capital of Tehran's alarming levels of air pollution fan the flames of factional infighting. Iran
