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
Former Shin Bet head: Jewish terror slow-growing 'cancer' in Israel Former Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin has posted a scathing criticism of Jewish terrorism, blaming weak Israeli leadership for failing to counter "anarchist ideologies." Palestine
Brutalism in Beersheeba Israeli architects formed a nonprofit association to promote Brutalist architecture in Israel and have submitted a request to UNESCO to recognize Beersheba as a World Heritage Site, representing this particular movement in architecture. Israel
Is Iran’s military funding the media? Hesam al-Din Ashna, cultural adviser to the Iranian president, said that some media in Iran receive money from the country's defense budget and are established enough to attack other media. Iran
One man’s mission to preserve Palestinian heritage Palestinian Saeed al-Ashkar interviews the elderly to reconstruct history and preserve Palestinian heritage. Palestine
Iraqi dates shrivel awaiting production means Poor management of agricultural lands and a lack of planning and support by the government for farmers have whittled down Iraq’s production of dates. Iraq
Israelis lean right toward one-state solution Palestinians are calling for one secular state where citizens have equal rights, but more and more right-wing Israelis are adopting their own version of the one Jewish state. Palestine
Has press freedom fallen victim to AKP’s Syria policy? Has the Turkish government once again tried to silence a journalist, this time one who has drawn links between the AKP government's Syria policy and terror attacks by Islamic State in the country? Syria
After 500 years, Turkish coffee percolates in popularity On the brink of oblivion about a decade ago, Turkey’s ancient coffee culture is revived by a vibrant new generation of entrepreneurs and young consumers. Turkey
Will Saudi Arabia-Russia talks impact Syrian opposition? Moscow has allegedly opened up channels of communication between the Syrian regime and Saudi Arabia, and many are speculating whether this will cripple the Syrian opposition forces’ capabilities. Saudi Arabia
West Bank violence rises sharply Spiking rates of societal violence among Palestinians reflect harsh social, economic and political conditions, the spread of a culture that uses weapons, a slow judicial process and an absence of strict measures taken by authorities. Palestine
Iranian negotiators remain confident about nuclear deal At a conference in Tehran on the nuclear agreement with the P5+1, Iran's senior negotiators expressed their satisfaction with the deal and confidence in its implementation. Regional
Bibi, king of the Jews In opposing the Iranian nuclear deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees himself as the savior of the Jews, a perception that leads him to view the American Jewish community as within his jurisdiction, rather than as US citizens with an understandable loyalty to their country and president. Israel
