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
Israel Can Prevent Third Intifada By Ending Occupation Israel should address the root cause of Palestinian anger — occupation — if it truly wants to prevent a third intifada. Palestine
'Bethlehem': Story of an Israeli Agent And His Palestinian Informant Yuval Adler’s film 'Bethlehem' unveils some of the mystery surrounding the work of Shin Bet officers and their relationship with Palestinian informants and in the process reveals the disillusionment of the Israeli left's Oslo generation. Palestine
US, Iran Officials Make Diplomatic History US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif took the first step to reaching a deal by speaking together for half an hour yesterday. Iran
New Information Indicates Kidnapped Syrian Bishops Still Alive The two Syrian bishops kidnapped in April are still alive, according to new information, and Turkish authorities may be working to secure their release. Lebanon
Gaza Students Stranded By Rafah Border Closure Palestinian students accepted into international universities may miss out on the academic year due to the blockade on Gaza. Palestine
Miss Egypt upstaged by political unrest Amid political turmoil, the Miss Egypt pageant is the last thing on Egyptians' minds, despite the competition's rich history. Egypt
Erdogan’s Family Policy Conservative, But Not Islamist The Turkish prime minister's family policies are more nationalist than Islamist. Turkey
Iran’s 'Guidance Patrols' Stir Controversy A rise in street confrontations over morals violations raises new questions about Iran's enforcement of morality laws. Iran
The Ailing Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Who Sought to Prevent Wars Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the first rabbi who ruled that preventing bloodshed takes precedence over keeping territories, is fighting for his life. Palestine
In Lebanon, Syrian Refugees Put Political Differences Aside Syrian refugees in Lebanon try to avoid the divisions that are fueling the war at home. Lebanon
Turkey's Gul Calls Syria Events 'Disgrace' Turkish President Abdullah Gul asked UN members if they would have just continued to watch the Syrian disaster unfold had it not been for chemical weapons. Turkey
Turkey, AKP Can Correct Mistakes The right stance for Turkish liberals in the face of such a complicated Justice and Development Party (AKP) is to be critical, not hostile. Turkey
