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
Congress inches closer to handing Pentagon $350 million for Syrian rebels Sen. John McCain signs off on aid request blocked after last year's effort ended in a debacle. Jordan
UN warns of 'catastrophic' breakdown of Syria cease-fire The United Nations warned of a catastrophic breakdown of the Syria cease-fire as the United States said it was outraged by what it initially assessed to be a deliberate Syrian regime airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo. Syria
Russia, Israel navigate narrow straits in potentially turbulent waters Recent glad-handing between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked interest, and intrigue, in the Middle East and beyond. Palestine
Egypt's writers fear increasing restrictions Egyptian authors are fighting for freedom of expression as the state cracks down on what it calls offending public decency and contempt of religion. Egypt
Why young Sahrawis are joining military movement against Morocco Sahrawi youth have grown tired of waiting for the United Nations to break the stalemate between Western Sahara and Morocco. Algeria
Who sent Iranian Green Berets to Syria? For the first time since Iran’s 1980-88 war with Iraq, the Iranian army is conducting foreign military operations. But who sent its Green Berets to Syria? Syria
Are Egypt's students no longer safe in their own schools? News that children have been victims of sexual assault at their own schools in Egypt has prompted civil society groups, activists and parents to look for effective ways to protect children from harassment. Egypt
Who’s to blame for US seizure of $2 billion in Iranian assets? Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has rejected blame in a US Supreme Court case that ruled Iran's assets of $2 billion can be seized. Iran
Mad love, amnesia or fear? How Erdogan pulls it off President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political fortunes have not suffered from his contradictions, questionable denials and attacks on opponents. Turkey
Is the PA coordinating arrests with Israel? In light of the climaxing uprising, some claim the Palestinian Authority's security services are coordinating arrests, so that after a Palestinian suspect is released by the PA he is shortly thereafter detained by Israel. Palestine
How education became an Israeli political tool Education Minister Naftali Bennett and his colleagues from other Orthodox parties know that teaching their ideology to school children will benefit themselves politically in the long run. Israel
Why one Gazan turned destroyed home into a zoo A Palestinian who has been waiting for the reconstruction of his house destroyed in the war on Gaza almost two years ago is now using it as a zoo. Palestine
