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
The Middle East's Internet revolution Internet and social networks bridge Middle East societies and the rest of the world, advance values of coexistence and tolerance, and could become an answer to Islamic fundamentalism. Near East
New units step toward reforming Kurdish peshmerga Some Kurdish officials are hopeful that new peshmerga brigades will be immune to politicization. Iraq
Israel, PA officials disagree over source of West Bank violence Despite the recent spate of attacks, Palestinian security officials argue that neither Fatah nor Hamas are interested in escalating the situation with Israel and emphasize that Israeli policies create continuous frustration among West Bank residents. Palestine
Egypt fights for Mubarak's millions Egypt is seeking to repatriate $700 million that Switzerland has frozen in accounts that belong to Hosni Mubarak and his family. Egypt
Will Israel invade West Bank? Israeli-Palestinian relations are back to square one as Israel recently threatened to invade and occupy the West Bank. Palestine
The 'who loves Erdogan more' contest In the AKP universe, even those who dare to criticize President Recep Tayyip Erdogan feel the need to note that they love the great leader more than anybody else. Turkey
Erdogan looks for military victory to avenge electoral defeat Some observers believe that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is attempting to force Turkey into a confrontation with Syria before a coalition government is formed. Saudi Arabia
Turkey's Ramadan treats Despite the opulent dinners making the headlines, Turkey's traditional Ramadan foods and rituals are simple, nutritious and versatile. Turkey
Common market between Africa, Egypt not in the offing The African economic blocs summit left some feeling that the African common market idea is far-fetched. Egypt
Gaza’s racing club hits speed bump A group of amateur auto racers created a club for sports car racing in the Gaza Strip, but they lack safe cars and adequate roads to drive on without causing safety concerns for the public and themselves. Palestine
Hamas denies connection to West Bank attacks Despite a lack of evidence of political affiliation of the attackers, the acts of violence against Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank are raising concerns about possible involvement by Hamas. Palestine
Netanyahu puts American Jews in tight spot US Jews feel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's defiant policy on the Iran agreement and talks with the Palestinians forces them to choose between the US agenda and interests and their support of Israel. Palestine
