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
Archaeological excavations in Iraq continue despite security chaos In spite of the precarious situation in Iraq, a series of excavations is still uncovering the buried historical ruins in Iraq, where the ruins of Ur are only a sample of the landmarks that are yet to be unveiled. Iraq
Are Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units heroes or villains? Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units are facing criticism while the fighters' political role continues to evolve. Iraq
Champions to the rescue! Superheroes roam the streets of Egypt Since the revolution, Egyptians have been hoping a hero would come and save them from their daily problems, giving rise to projects launched by artists and citizens about superheroes roaming the streets of Egypt. Egypt
Lebanese, UN fall out over refugee registration Lebanese officials have criticized UNHCR efforts to register Syrian refugee births, arguing that the country is at capacity. Lebanon
Regime forces tighten noose on opposition in Zabadani The Syrian army, assisted by Hezbollah, is making gains in the city of Zabadani against opposition fighters, who have barricaded themselves in the old town. Syria
Does Hamas have a 'revolutionary plan' for the West Bank? After a recent arrest campaign against Hamas members in the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority has charged that the movement plans to gain control of the territory. Palestine
Ankara's response to forest fires ignites Kurdish anger Kurds in southeastern Turkey believe the government was intentionally lax in combating a series of local forest fires, which residents think were intentionally set to destroy areas where fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party had been known to operate in the past. Turkey
Kurdish opposition figures denounce Ankara officials as 'accomplices' of IS after Suruc bombing After 31 young Turks were killed and many more wounded by a suicide attack in Suruc, protests erupted across the country and politicians scrambled to point fingers. Syria
Israeli left needs to face defeat, move on By lashing out instead of accepting its electoral defeat and rehabilitating itself, the Israeli left stands to alienate even more Israelis. Israel
How US, Russia could solve Syria The successful cooperation between the United State and Russia throughout the Iran nuclear negotiations could bode well for a new plan for Syria. Syria
I'm no fan of Bibi but I see a bad deal, says former Labor minister In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh argues that the deal with Iran is dangerous to Israel, because it will strengthen Hezbollah and Hamas, while allowing Iran to enlarge its regional hegemony. Palestine
West Bank villagers deliver final plea to save homes from destruction Residents of the Palestinian village of Khirbet Susiya say that their repeated requests for construction permits were rejected by Israel, which has instead decided to demolish their homes. Palestine
