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
Uncertain future for Syrians as EU-Lebanon migration deal looms Increasingly harsh conditions for Syrian refugees in Lebanon may present new problems for a prospective deal with the European Union. Lebanon
Security unrest continues in Nablus Palestinian security forces have launched a broad campaign against armed individuals in Nablus, leading to clashes resulting in the killing of five people, including two security team members. The apparent extrajudicial killing of one suspect has deeply angered Nablus residents. Palestine
Al-Aqsa Mosque back in the eye of the storm with renewed clashes, arrests Various minor infractions have once again increased tensions at Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Palestinians complain that restoration work has been disrupted and Israeli visitors have exceeded agreed-upon limits. Palestine
Why Bibi is rejoicing as Obama's term nears end Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told journalists that his relationship with US President Barack Obama got off to a bad start from the first minute, when Obama challenged him on settlement policy. Israel
How Netanyahu is sidelining potential rivals Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trouncing of Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz is one more step toward making the Likud a one-man party with no future. Israel
Where does tribal influence fit in Iraqi politics? Even high-level Iraqi politicians are turning to their tribes for support in resolving political disputes, a traditional resource that finds itself at odds with democratic state-building. Iraq
Iran closer to rolling out new oil project contracts Despite ongoing quarreling over Iran’s long-delayed new oil and gas model contracts, the issue finally seems set for a resolution. Iran
Can new 'women’s government' advance gender equality in Egypt? The Egyptian Heritage and Traditional Arts Association has launched a “parallel government” comprising almost entirely of women in a move aimed at promoting public participation of female figures in the country. Egypt
How one initiative aims to help Egypt's most vulnerable women A new initiative called “Belonging to Egypt” hopes to improve conditions in the country’s slums by focusing on improving the situation for women in these areas. Egypt
Play spotlights hardships of hearing-impaired in Egypt A popular new play integrates the deaf community into the art world while calling attention to the plight faced by millions of hearing-impaired Egyptians. Egypt
Why did Russian use of Iranian air base stir up controversy? Despite controversy, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says Russian planes in Iran left according to a previously designated agreement. Syria
Will Turkey's military turn East or West? After Turkey's massive military purge following the failed coup, the new leadership may push for a differing military strategy. Turkey
