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
New museum to honor Palestinian history, culture The new Palestinian Museum under construction in the West Bank will honor the country’s heritage through history and art exhibits. Palestine
Shifting tides in PA-EU relationship Since the Vatican recognized the state of Palestine, Palestinians are hoping more European states will follow suit. Palestine
Draft law pushes equal opportunity in Egypt Social status and upbringing trump qualifications in obtaining positions in the Egyptian judiciary, Foreign Ministry, and police force. Egypt
Damaged gas cylinders become another threat to Gazans In addition to other hardships suffered by Palestinians, damaged gas cylinder explosions are claiming the lives of citizens in Gaza who are unaware of their risks. Palestine
Arab Israeli coed marathon canceled after threats The struggle to hold a coed marathon in Tira exposed the clash in Arab Israeli society between increasing liberalization and traditional religiosity. Israel
Khamenei draws line on military sites, nuclear scientists Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Iran would not allow inspections into military sites nor allow nuclear scientists to be interrogated. Iran
Khamenei adviser visits Beirut During a visit to Beirut, Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, expressed his country’s appreciation to the achievements of Hezbollah in the Qalamoun area, while stressing that Iran will not interfere in internal Lebanese issues. Lebanon
Kurds abandon AKP Thousands of pious Kurds, including entire tribes, have parted ways with the AKP, convinced that it has no real intention of reconciling with the Kurds. Turkey
Former Hamas official speaks out In this interview with Al-Monitor, Ahmed Yousef, former political adviser to deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, weighs in on the negotiations with Israel, the future of a potential reconciliation with Fatah and international relations. Palestine
Attacks on Syrians in Turkey increasing Increasing numbers of Turks are angered over the social and economic consequence of Turkey hosting some 2 million Syrian refugees. Syria
Baghdadis live with constant threat of violence Amid ravaging terror and repeated security breaches, civilians in Iraq do not feel safe as a customary trip to the coffee shop could cost their lives. Iraq
Israel silent while Hamas digs tunnels Before getting into another round of fighting in Gaza, Israel must use its nonmilitary tools to stop the tunnel digging that Hamas has continued to pursue so vigorously. Palestine
