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
What's next for Abadi? Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's moderate path in implementing government reforms has kept the peace among the governing political parties. Iraq
Hunger-striking women's group hopes to bring peace to Israel Members of the Women Wage Peace movement — a group of women from all sectors, ages and communities — hope that their recent meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will add another layer to the public movement they are building for peace with the Palestinians. Palestine
Bibi's two-state solution: State of Israel and State of the Jews Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told peace activists that he is willing to go to Ramallah, knowing that his preconditions for such contacts will immediately dissuade Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from extending him an invitation. Palestine
MK Svetlova: Abbas not ideal partner, but best we have now In an Al-Monitor interview, Zionist Camp Knesset member Ksenia Svetlova described Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a "missed opportunity'' and laid most of the blame for the current diplomatic impasse on Israel. Palestine
Gaza's blind karate team dreams big A group of blind youths recently received their yellow belts in karate after only 21 days of training, and their concerned club is hoping to get enough funding to help the children eventually reach Arab and international levels. Palestine
Cairo tuk-tuk ban could leave commuters stuck-stuck Though millions of Egyptians rely on cheap and versatile auto rickshaws to get around, the government has banned the mini taxis in several Cairo neighborhoods after efforts to regulate them failed. Egypt
Assad’s 'reputation trap' for Moscow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in his fear of losing the support of Russia, may be backing Russia into a corner of sorts. Legacy: Gulf
The unbearable lightness of media in Erdogan’s Turkey Police raids on pro-Gulen media outlets are seen as a prelude to suppressing the media opposed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prior to the snap elections. Turkey
Iran negotiators defend deal at committee hearing Former and current Iranian negotiators testified before a special parliamentary committee and the Assembly of Experts. Iran
Turkey takes on the Islamic State ... in 40-page report Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs has issued a 40-page report that condemns not just the Islamic State, but also "political Salafism." Turkey
European countries to Turkey: We pay, you keep Syrian refugees Syrian refugees are the new ping-pong between EU countries and Turkey. Syria
Egypt earmarks $68 million to promote tourism Egypt has awarded a major advertising agency a multimillion-dollar project to promote Egypt abroad in the hopes of boosting tourism following the security crises that have hurt the industry over the past few years. Egypt
