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
Who will replace Netanyahu as prime minister? The main agenda of the forthcoming Israeli elections will not revolve around security issues or the economy, but will focus on removing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the premier's seat — his rivals each running separately. Israel
IRGC denies negotiations are source of Iran's security The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps believes that the country's nuclear negotiators derived their strength directly from Iran's military and defensive abilities. Iran
Lebanon's bittersweet expertise in prosthetics helps amputees As a result of past conflicts in Lebanon, organizations and government ministries have created a prosthetics sector that continues to advance and using its knowledge to assist not only Lebanese, but also Syrian refugee victims of war and those with congenital disabilities. Lebanon
Voter apathy expected to linger among Israeli Arabs It's unlikely that the upcoming early elections will encourage disappointed Israeli Arabs to show en mass at the ballot boxes, though they are a political force to reckon with. Israel
Israelis raise funds for Syrian children The fundraising event in Tel Aviv for Syrian children had a slow start, as many Israelis show apathy to the suffering of their neighbors, but the Israeli committee supporting war-stricken Syrian children is determined to address the indifference in Israeli society. Israel
Gaza war leaves students with ruined classrooms Israel shelled dozens of schools during the recent Gaza war, destroying and damaging classrooms and leaving many students to study in impossible conditions. Palestine
Israel's unexploded ordnance endangers Jordan Valley residents The Israeli army leaves behind unexploded devices and mines each time it conducts military drills in the Jordan Valley, and prevents local Palestinian forces from performing demining activities. Palestine
Iran denies cooperating with US on IS strikes Iranian officials have not confirmed whether Iran has conducted airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq but continue to officially reject cooperation with the US-led coalition. Iraq
Pope Francis hopes for better ties between Turks, Armenians Odds appear stacked against Pope Francis’ desire for the Turkish and Armenian nations to overcome their historic differences and achieve reconciliation. Turkey
Liberman eyes premiership Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman has identified this moment as a golden opportunity to determine who would be the next premier, and even perhaps become the prime minister himself. Israel
Addressing corruption just one part of Iraqi security Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's efforts to reform the security and military institutions are necessary to eliminate corruption but not enough to restore Iraq’s security. Iraq
Turkey looks to lure Hollywood filmmakers Seeking to attract European and American filmmakers to Turkey, the Culture and Tourism Ministry has drafted a bill to meet 25% of the costs of foreign productions shot there. Turkey
