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
Internal differences within Fatah reach their peak The many currents within Fatah are at war as to whom should lead the movement and succeed President Mahmoud Abbas. Palestine
Herzog hangs his hat on natural gas issue During the election campaign, Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog concentrated on a diplomatic agenda, but now, following the electoral failure, he tries to position himself at the forefront of the natural gas debate. Israel
Syrian refugee influx leaves host countries vulnerable Local Lebanese activists as well as the United Nations are working to improve living conditions and opportunities for Syrian refugees. Lebanon
3-D animation comes to Gaza Producing 3-D animated films is not easy in Gaza City, where there is a scarcity of advanced technology and funding, but some young artists are going above and beyond to follow their passion. Palestine
Leaked cables show Gulf leery of Shiite expansion The Gulf states are concerned about the growing influence of Shiites in neighboring countries, expressing their fears of the relations established between the Shiites of Iran and Iraq and their own Shiite communities. Saudi Arabia
Al-Azhar goes online to fight extremism As terrorist groups mobilize young Muslims in cyberspace, religious institutions in Egypt are reviving religious discourse and recruiting technology to counter extremist ideas. Egypt
Will new Turkish government pursue Armenian opening? Opening the Turkey-Armenia border would benefit both countries economically, but ongoing tensions and the results of the June 7 elections in Turkey do not bode well for such a move. Turkey
State, Congress face off over Palestinian aid Key lawmakers want to block Palestinian Authority funds over cooperation with International Criminal Court probe. Palestine
US 'hopeful' on final Iran deal The United States sees a path to reaching a “very good” Iran nuclear deal, but tough decisions will have to be made, according to a senior US official, as John Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif were set to join the talks in Vienna. Congress
Iran's tea tradition Though tea came late to Iran, it has become ubiquitous in daily life in the country. Iran
Poor services in Egypt public hospitals come to light The decision of Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb to transfer negligent physicians from hospitals in Cairo governorates to Upper Egypt has raised the ire of the public, which demands hospital reform. Egypt
Iraqi children use art to confront trauma Militarization continues to sweep over Iraqi society and has had a profound impact on children, whose artistic creations are now imbued with images of war and violence. Iraq
