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
Yemenis turn to alternative energy amid power crisis As the war continues in Yemen, increasing power cuts have driven more and more citizens to install solar panels. Yemen
Will Gaza photographer ever accept international awards in person? Palestinian photographer Ashraf Amra has won another international photojournalism prize but may miss the Moscow award ceremony for the second year in a row, unable to leave the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Netanyahu's new worldview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to have discarded seeking negotiations for a two-state solution with the Palestinians for a backdoor approach of forging alliances with Arab and other states. Palestine
Is Abbas using Christians to keep Hamas from power? A presidential decree has sparked controversy in requiring that Christians head nine municipal councils. Palestine
Is discussing military budget taboo in Egypt? Opposition by some Egyptian parliament members against an increase in pensions for retired military personnel leads to a showdown in the parliament. Egypt
Confiscated $2 billion could spell legal trouble for Ahmadinejad After Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to Barack Obama asking for the return of $2 billion, Hassan Rouhani asked the judiciary to investigate why the funds belonging to Iran were never pulled out of the United States. United States
Is Gulen an Armenian? Pro-government figures in Turkey have declared Fethullah Gulen to be Armenian and Jewish in an attempt to deny the Islamic background of the person it blames for the recent coup attempt. Turkey
What will be Turkey's toll for a second chance with Russia? The presidents of both countries know a reconciliation with Russia won't come cheap for Turkey. Syria
Will new tax law save Egypt from budget deficit? While the Egyptian government is confident that the new value added tax bill will not increase consumer prices, others say it is too early to tell. Egypt
Why some are accusing Rouhani of playing the woman card Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has ordered the cancellation of the annual Civil Service Examination over allegations of discrimination against women. While some hail the decision, others accuse him of playing the "woman card" ahead of the 2017 presidential vote. Iran
Hizb ut-Tahrir: Palestine is not our main cause The spokesman for the Islamic Hizb ut-Tahrir insists that his party has nothing to do with the Islamic State, as the latter seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate by using violence, while Hizb ut-Tahrir seeks the same goal but through political means. Palestine
