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
Sisi's land cultivation plan ignores worsening water crisis Egypt has put forward proposals to cultivate 4 million acres of land for growing crops, but questions are being raised about where the water will come from. Egypt
Iraqis show their love on bridges The love padlocks on Pont Des Arts in Paris has inspired young Iraqis to show love for their sweethearts with padlocks on bridges, but not everyone approves. Iraq
Shahroudi seen as likely candidate to head Assembly of Experts Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi is considered a strong candidate to head the Assembly of Experts as the Iranian leadership reshuffles after the death of late chairman Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani. Iran
What does Hezbollah mean by 'painful concessions' in Syria? UN Syria envoy meets Hezbollah official; Erdogan sets back Turkey-Iran ties and points out US "mistake"; Israel seeks to suppress "silent intifada" in Jerusalem. Palestine
Is Israel's reputation in decline? The United States and the European Union once regarded Israel's occupation as a temporary evil, but now its settlement expansion is perceived as no less detrimental to the peace process than Palestinian terror. Palestine
Neglect, provocation feed East Jerusalem unrest Coping with the growing violence requires more than increased policing in East Jerusalem, where discrimination and neglect deprive residents of infrastructure, education and services. Palestine
Tensions over IS resurface in Turkish-US ties Ankara opposes US-supplied weapons going to Syrian Kurds, but has no power to prevent it and has failed to convince Washington that Kobani is of no strategic value. Syria
Art re-emerges in Gaza As life struggles to return to normal, artists there express the pain and suffering Gaza experienced in the war. Palestine
Iran acid attacks put 'vice groups' on defensive The acid attacks in Iran have prompted criticism of a proposed law that would provide legal protection to vigilante groups working to discourage "vice." Iran
Islamic State sets sights on sea in Lebanon The Islamic State has hopes of connecting with the sea, but to achieve this it must go through Lebanon, which will be a tough fight. Lebanon
Israeli Jewish, Arab authors collaborate on bilingual book The ''two languages'' project, including a website and an anthology that was just published, was born out of the mutual curiosity of Jewish and Arab writers and editors about each other's literary scene, so unknown to either side. Palestine
Jerusalem's 'silent intifada' Following the latest Jerusalem terror attack in which a baby girl was killed, calls were being heard in Israel to quickly suppress the "silent intifada," even though one incident on Temple Mount might explode the region. Palestine
