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
Victims still 'disappearing' from Egyptian streets A few "fortunate" souls return from forced disappearances to recount their experiences. Egypt
Iran-Saudi tensions play out on soccer field The ongoing conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia is affecting the sports world as regional soccer associations struggle to satisfy both parties' location and security demands. Saudi Arabia
How much more can Yemen’s heritage sites take? The ancient city of Sanaa in conflict-torn Yemen is at risk of complete destruction as its historical landmarks keep taking one blow after the other. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan's conquest of Africa Turkey hopes that more muscular foreign policy moves in the Gulf and Africa will help neutralize increasing pressure from a Russia-led alliance. Turkey
How a crude sex joke revived a partisan fight in Israel By accusing right-wing TV host Erel Segal of sexual harassment over a crude TV skit about her, Zionist Camp Knesset member Stav Shaffir let him turn an essential debate on women's rights into a feud between the right and the left camps. Israel
Who's really taking Christian homes in Iraq? Although the Popular Mobilization Units grouping has been accused of seizing the homes of Baghdad’s Christians, the organization is leading a campaign to recover the properties. Iraq
What's behind Israel's call for 'economic peace'? The "economic peace" proposed by Israel to the Palestinians resembles more economic colonialism than economic ties between equal partners. Palestine
Deported from Jordan to Egypt, Sudanese refugees are fleeing again After fleeing the civil war in Sudan to Jordan, where they were again deported to Egypt, the Sudanese community now faces social and economic hardships that push some to risk their lives in the journey to Europe where they believe they will find a better life. Egypt
Why Palestinians prefer Clinton over Trump As Trump and Clinton move closer to winning their parties' nominations, Palestinians seem to favor Clinton, although they don't have high hopes that any president would resolve their conflict with Israel. Palestine
Nobel winner: Peace in Libya will solve 80% of Tunisia's problems Employers federation chief Ouided Bouchamaoui presses the United States for greater involvement in North Africa. Tunisia
Why is Israel detaining a clown? Circus artists around the world are protesting the arrest and detention of Palestinian performer Mohammad Abu Sakha. Palestine
Why high inflation may return to Iran The Central Bank of Iran is urging banks to slash deposit rates in the hopes that money locked in savings accounts will be channeled to manufacturing and capital markets. Iran
