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
Israeli left's attack on Bennett boomerangs The recent attack by left-leaning Israeli media outlets against Naftali Bennett's military past only benefits him. Israel
PLO factions irked by Abbas’ unilateral decisions Although the decision to join the International Criminal Court has been welcomed by all in the PLO, several factions are irritated that President Mahmoud Abbas was not consulting the PLO on such major decisions. Palestine
Is the AKP shielding former ministers from corruption charges? A Turkish parliamentary inquiry commission has decided not to put former government ministers on trial for corruption. Turkey
Iran closes private TV channels for 'inciting sectarianism' In the name of battling sectarianism, Iran has closed the offices of several private Shiite news stations. Iran
Netanyahu's campaign focuses on IS threat The strong suit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is his image on security issues, which is why he has chosen to focus the Likud's election campaign on the Islamic State threat and not on the economic crisis. Israel
Falling oil prices both blessing, curse for Egypt As the price of oil continues to decline, Egypt stands to both gain and lose: It will save in petroleum subsidies while the job market for Egyptian oil workers in the Gulf, a significant source of remittances, will decline. Egypt
Russia and the Kurds Russia balances its relationships with various Kurdish groups with its support for the states the Kurds live under. Iraq
Will next Saudi king seize opportunity for change? The successor to King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz needs to make real political reforms, whether pressured by citizens or not. Saudi Arabia
Iraqis dream of jinn Belief in superstition, magic and, more specifically, jinn — supernatural creatures in Islamic mythology — has pervaded Iraqi society across socioeconomic classes. Iraq
In tough times, Egyptian theater troupe pushes boundaries The Egyptian theater group Outa Hamra works with local disadvantaged communities to develop theater as a medium for expression and social change in the country. Egypt
Turkish women receive mixed messages on work-life balance Officials from Turkey's Justice and Development Party have made a habit of issuing controversial social edicts to women that don't apply to their wives and daughters. Turkey
Gaza Salafist leader: 'We are following Islamic State ideology' Only a small number of Salafists from Gaza have traveled to Syria and died fighting for the Islamic State. Palestine
