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
Security services drain Palestine's budget Palestine's security services continue to receive the bulk of the Palestinian Authority’s annual budget, to the detriment of other vital sectors. Palestine
What will lifting sanctions do to Iran's rial? The removal of sanctions will likely substantially strengthen the rial and could lead to a wave of cheap and wasteful imports into Iran, economists have warned. Iran
Netanyahu snatches defeat from jaws of victory Instead of composing a large and stable coalition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself with only 61 coalition members and must try to persuade the Zionist Camp to join his government. Israel
Haifa's Arab theater shocked by uproar over play “A Parallel Time,” at Al-Midan Theater in Haifa, has sparked an outcry amid allegations that the play glorifies an alleged terrorist. Palestine
Egypt's independent media outlets face closures A dip in profits is pushing Egyptian media institutions to become government mouthpieces, negatively impacting their content. Egypt
Gaza's honey production slows to a drizzle Beekeepers in Gaza are currently experiencing a low in honey production due to the latest Israeli war on Gaza, during which the Israeli army destroyed vast agricultural lands. Palestine
Babylon awaits tourists' return Cultural authorities are trying to revive tourism to Iraq's Babil, historic Babylon, after years of neglect and destruction in the area. Iraq
Islamic loans give Gaza's women chance to survive poverty Poverty and unemployment have pushed many women to become the source of income to their families, thus seeking to open their own enterprises through Islamic loans. Palestine
Morocco battles Islamic State cells After attacks in neighboring Tunisia, Morocco is doing all it can to crack down on Islamic State sympathizers. United Arab Emirates
Khamenei: We will not negotiate under 'specter of threats' Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's harsh words were likely a response to comments by US Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, who have suggested that the military option is still on the table. Iran
Will Erdogan's backtracking torpedo PKK disarmament? The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has dropped plans to convene a congress to renounce its armed struggle after hostile outbursts by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and government officials. Turkey
Turkey avoids economic pain with EU trade agreement Turkey would have suffered heavy economic consequences if it was left out of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the world’s largest free trade zone. Turkey
