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
Is Iran on the right track to managing inflation? To make the economy stable and predictable, the government needs to put an end to its borrowing habit and cut spending in a significant way, economists believe. Iran
Iran court upholds sentence of Rafsanjani's son An appellate court has upheld the corruption case against Mehdi Hashemi, son of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani. Iran
Will AKP's loss benefit Israel? Many in Israel reveled over the AKP's loss in the parliamentarian elections, but their defeat might actually harm the normalization process between the two countries. Israel
Netanyahu trapped by powerful Likud central party Media accusations against newly elected Knesset member Oren Hazan did not prompt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sanction him, as he needs Hazan's support in the upcoming Likud Party central committee meeting. Israel
Eyes return to Turkish military after elections The turbulence in the wake of the recent elections may offer the Turkish military opportunities to return to politics — and even if a serious deadlock ensues, the situation still may work in the military's favor. Turkey
Gaza's ice cream industry melts Although ice cream is popular among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, local ice cream shops struggle to sustain themselves under Israel's blockade and Hamas' law on imported goods. Palestine
Artists help Syrian refugee women tell their stories Several artists have developed projects to highlight the lives of Syrian women in refugee camps, moving beyond the image of victimhood, as they are largely portrayed in the media. Lebanon
UN envoy Mladenov: Absence of political process 'dangerous' In an interview with Al-Monitor, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov stressed the UN's commitment to supporting peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Palestine
Why Israelis should pay attention to recent US Supreme Court decision The US Supreme Court's rejection of a petition for a Jerusalem-born American to be registered as born in Israel in his passport should make Israelis realize that the only way to gain international recognition of its capital is a compromise with the Palestinians and therefore an end to the conflict. Palestine
Egypt demolishes Mubarak’s party headquarters The Egyptian government ordered the demolition of the National Democratic Party’s headquarters in the center of Cairo, despite criticism as the building is considered part of Egypt’s architectural history. Egypt
Iraqis demand better security for religious pilgrimages After vandals attacked Sunni properties in Adhamiya, Iraqis are calling for official regulation and organization of religious events to avoid sectarian violence. Iraq
Gulf countries rake in billions in Ex-Im Bank subsidies Several Middle East nations are taking full advantage of a US export financing program whose loans and guarantees supporters say create American jobs and critics claim undermine the US economy. Scroll down to see our interactive table. Saudi Arabia
