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
Turkish court documents reveal new details about IS operations Official correspondence sent to courts in Diyarbakir has exposed formerly unknown aspects about the Islamic State's human resources, intelligence methods and logistics. Syria
IRGC head calls House of Saud 'clear enemy' of Iran As tensions continue to simmer, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said in a speech that Saudi Arabia is now one of Iran's "clear enemies" and accused the Saudis of trying to spread instability in the country. Saudi Arabia
Will Post-IS Iraq witness 'clear conflicts' between armed forces? The Iraqi army is no longer the strongest force in Iraq, making way for the possibility of conflict between various armed groups. Iraq
Why EU fears for Israeli democracy EU officials are preparing a list of demands designed to stop the flow of Israeli anti-democratic legislation and statements. Israel
Why Egypt is suddenly so interested in Israel-Palestine conflict Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry's recent visit to Israel has sparked controversy and raised questions as to why Egypt is trying to resolve the Palestinian cause while drawing closer to Israel. Palestine
Will mystery of Israel's missing Yemenite children soon be solved? The families of Israel's Yemenite children who disappeared in the early 1950s might be disappointed when the archives on this issue open up, as it is not certain that they will find any answers there. Yemen
Sahrawis, EU in standoff over Moroccan trade agreement The Polisario Front criticizes the EU’s farm trade agreement with Morocco because it also applies to the disputed territory of the Western Sahara; by bringing this agreement before the EU’s highest court, the Polisario Front puts its claim for independence back on the agenda. Morocco
Syrians displaced from Manbij recount horror Following the Syrian Democratic Forces' announcement of the battle to restore the city of Manbij, the number of displaced from the IS-controlled areas continues to increase. Syria
War of the Words: Palestinian poetry broadcast terrifies Israeli right Israeli Ministers Miri Regev and Avigdor Liberman have attacked Army Radio over a broadcast featuring Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, even though his poetry is taught in Israeli schools. Palestine
Only six shrines remain standing as Gaza's ancient sites crumble Gaza's shrines and mausoleums are being neglected by the authorities and ignored by the people as clerics discourage Gazans from visiting the sites. Palestine
What Bibi got wrong about comparison of Tel Aviv, Nice attacks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to ignore the reality of Israeli occupation by equating attacks by Palestinians and the terror attacks in Paris, Orlando and Nice. Palestine
Egypt's new plan: 1 weekly sermon for over 80 million Muslims After Egypt launched a campaign to unify Friday sermons in mosques across the country, some have questioned the state's real motives behind the move. Egypt
