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
Erdogan's silence shows absence of moral compass Why has Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan not yet expressed contrition or condolence for the death of Berkin Elvan? Turkey
Palestinian activists press Abbas to outlaw honor crimes Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has failed to sign laws criminalizing honor crimes despite pledges to do so. Palestine
Syrian women refugees humiliated, exploited in Turkey Many female Syrian refugees in Turkey endure sexual harassment and exploitation by employers, prospective husbands and male kin. Syria
Egypt, Libya at odds over border control Libya rejects Egyptian claims that jihadists are sneaking through its border, instead accusing remnants of the Gadhafi regime of causing its instability. Egypt
Netanyahu gets bounce from Iranian arms shipment Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's media campaign over the capture of the weapons shipment passed unnoticed by the foreign press, but reinforced his status in Israeli public opinion as "Mr. Security." Israel
Israel fears it has lost world attention on Iran Israeli defense officials estimate that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are behind the weapons vessel captured last week. Palestine
Gazans dream of praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque Israel has prevented Gazans from traveling to Jerusalem since 2000, but their strong connection with the Holy City is inspiring new campaigns for change. Palestine
Assad sends signals to Russia, US While Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has offered Russian President Vladimir Putin full support in the Ukrainian crisis, he's also signalling a willingness to defuse tensions on the border with Israel. Syria
Syrian opposition can learn from Ukraine The Syrian opposition should reassess its strategy in light of Russia's position in both Syria and Ukraine. Syria
Internet, social media a ‘scourge’ for Erdogan The Turkish prime minister’s campaign against the Internet is worrying democracy and free media advocates. Turkey
Vandals attack Catholic church in Gaza A small bomb at Gaza's Catholic church is the latest attack targeting the Palestinian Christian minority in the Hamas-ruled enclave. Palestine
Interpol IDs Iranians on MH370, terror link not suspected Two Iranians who used stolen European passports to board the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are not suspected of links to any terrorist groups. Originals
