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
A new era of impeachments in Iran? With the nuclear deal seemingly behind it, Iran's parliament is seeking to target Hassan Rouhani's Cabinet. Iran
Lapid: Israel has the right to criticize Iran deal In an interview with Al-Monitor, Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid argues that as the prime target for an Iranian bomb, Israel has more justification to speak up against the nuclear agreement than other countries. Israel
New conversion initiative splits Israel Orthodox rabbis Modern Orthodox rabbis remain dedicated to implementing the conversion law adopted in 2014 — repealed by the current government — which aims to facilitate the process of converting minors. Israel
Speculation about Turkish civil war is just that Clashes between Turkish security forces and the PKK are intensifying and becoming more violent. Iraq
Turkey's baby boom sends many children into state care The increasing number of children left to state care in Turkey raises fresh questions over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s call on families to have at least three children. Turkey
Gaza's crumbling history The lack of attention given by the government to monuments in the Gaza Strip coupled with the lack of awareness on the part of citizens are resulting in further neglect of an impressive collection that could put Palestine on the map. Palestine
Peshmerga 'ready' to advance on IS Fighting continues between the peshmerga forces and the Islamic State, but the two sides seem to be in a holding pattern as the Peshmerga await commands from Baghdad and coordination with the United States to advance. Iraq
Egypt and Israel: A lover and his mistress Like a lover and his mistress, Egypt and Israel intimately collaborate on the security front, but their relations do not extend much beyond this. Egypt
Syrian refugees in Gaza face limited job opportunities Syrian women who have fled the war in Syria to Gaza with their Palestinian husbands are denied institutional financial aid, under the pretext of being part of a Palestinian family not eligible to receive assistance dedicated to Syrian refugees. Palestine
Hamas recalls fierce Shajaiya battles during Gaza war A year after the Gaza war, Israeli media is publishing testimonies about the Shajaiya battles, which are considered the fiercest. Originals
Abbas' resignation rumors intensify Recent dismissals and appointments among the Palestinian leadership have reignited rampant speculation that President Mahmoud Abbas intends to resign and that the personnel changes are harbingers of who will succeed him. Palestine
Israel's prison service denies jails on verge of 'explosion' The Israel Prison Service claims that escalating tensions in prisons are not related to changes in the incarceration conditions of the Palestinian prisoners, but the impending shakeup of a new Prison Service chief and the lack of a diplomatic horizon. Palestine
