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
Rural Egyptian village stuck in time Egypt has gone through dramatic changes in the last three years, but in the remote upper Egyptian village of Western Bindar, life remains at a standstill with little state presence. Egypt
Iraq faces budget cuts Iraq may be planning austerity measures across its institutions, potentially cutting the salaries of 4 million public employees, to face the dropping price of oil and the war against the Islamic State. Iraq
Egypt launches campaign for UN Security Council seat The Egyptian government has begun a diplomatic offensive to secure votes to win it the North African seat at the UN Security Council for 2016-17. Egypt
Sistani denies supporting Soleiman's involvement in Iraq The office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has denied allegations that he supports the Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani's presence and Iranian involvement in Iraq in the fight against the Islamic State. Iraq
Liberman outlines his regional peace plan In an interview with Al-Monitor, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman details his comprehensive regional proposal, including land and population swaps. Israel
No sign of pardon for Iran blogger sentenced to death The deputy head of Iran's judiciary has said that there is no move to pardon blogger Soheil Arabi, sentenced to execution over Facebook comments, but there is a request to review his case. Iran
Arab virtuoso transcends musical boundaries Simon Shaheen, a Palestinian considered one of the foremost Arab musicians of his time, has earned international fame — and 11 Grammy nominations — by creating a fusion of classical Arabic, jazz and Latin music. Palestine
Tensions rise between Egypt, Hamas Tensions have surged between Egypt and Hamas following the deadly October attack in the Sinai Peninsula against Egyptian soldiers, which prompted an Egyptian media campaign against Hamas. Palestine
Israel: Turkey insincere about mending fences Several emissaries are trying to reconcile Turkey and Israel, but the latter feels that resetting relations requires a sincere change of approach: an end to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's declarations against Israel and to his support for Hamas terror. Israel
Turkey's women expand role in military The Turkish army is witnessing a rapid increase of females in its ranks. Turkey
After joining IS, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis expands in Egypt Terrorist group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis is developing its strategy and tactics after joining the Islamic State, and threatens to spread the violence to Egyptian cities outside Sinai. Egypt
Turkey’s pro-Erdogan media purge The unexpected dismissals of three top executives from two of Turkey’s key pro-Erdogan newspapers has led to questions about the power games in the ruling AKP. Turkey
