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
US election 2016: Hillary dodges email server bullet The FBI exonerated Hillary Clinton on the email scandal, but Republicans are no less hungry to make the Democratic presidential candidate pay for her "extremely careless" actions. United States
Egypt’s rap sheet of rights abuses gets longer Despite recently winning a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, Egypt has been broadly criticized for austere measures that violate civil rights, and a new report adds further documentation. Egypt
Is Turkey's radical foreign policy shift sustainable? The Turkish president's willingness to put practicality ahead of pettiness in international relations might be driven solely by his survival instincts, but it is desperately needed. Turkey
Can Bahrain count on Moscow to fill Washington’s shoes? As Bahrain seeks closer ties with Russia, other Arab countries have their doubts about the relationship, yet they recognize Moscow’s growing role in the region amid Washington’s receding influence. Saudi Arabia
Turkey's pro-government media mired in CIA conspiracy theories Odd logic and pro-government leanings lead some Turkish media outlets to embrace theories of IS intrigue. Turkey
5 reasons Rouhani may not win second term With only one year left of Hassan Rouhani's first term, hard-liners are stepping up efforts to make him the first Iranian president not to be re-elected for a second term. Iran
Iraqi pre-Islamic landmark threatening to collapse The pre-Islamic Taq Kasr monument is suffering from neglect and is in dire need of maintenance. Iraq
Turkey eyes African farmlands as own farmers go broke Turkey plans to lease farmlands in African countries as thousands of its own farmers have gone out of business amid decreased government support and an aggressive construction drive swallowing arable lands. Turkey
Have Arab leaders forgotten about Palestine? Palestinian senior officials feel that not only are Arab countries preoccupied by the Islamic State threat, but that the countries are also tired of the Palestinian issue and are sidelining the urgency of establishing a Palestinian state. Palestine
Why Israel's left can't depend on Finance Minister Kahlon Reading into statements by Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon should clarify to the Israeli center-left that he has never deserted the right-wing. Israel
Is Israel doomed to live with terror? Former Mossad Deputy Chief Ram Ben Barak disagrees with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position that Israel is doomed to live with terror, claiming that it is up to Israel to decide if it wants to pay the price of occupation. Palestine
Gaza mechanic turns heads in handmade classic car Palestinian auto mechanic Munir Shindi has finished his masterpiece: a replica of the 1927 Mercedes Gazelle built from scratch in his workshop in Gaza City. Palestine
