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
Southern Israeli Town Forgotten After Rockets Stop Falling Just a mile away from Gaza in Israel, Sderot residents love their town despite economic difficulties and a year of rocket attacks. Israel
Syrian Civil War Reopens Trade Route Through Israeli Port The port city of Haifa, once a major gateway to the Near East, is regaining some of its lost commercial importance thanks to the Syrian war. Israel
Organ Transplants Bring Israelis, Palestinians Close In Israeli hospitals, Jewish and Arab patients are treated equally — and even save each other's lives. Palestine
Life in Homs a Mixture Of Fear, Danger A first-hand account from Homs reveals a city divided and under siege by the Syrian war. Lebanon
What Will Happen on Election Day In Iran? Iran has set procedures for conducting elections, but this year a new committee, composed of allies of the supreme leader, will oversee counting the votes. Iran
UN Warns of Israel-Syria Escalation The UN secretary-general warned today that the cease-fire between Israel and Syria is in jeopardy as Austrian forces have withdrawn from the UN Disengagement Observer Force. Israel
Erdogan: Sometimes Innocent Suffer Along With Guilty Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is conducting a public relations campaign to redress the peaceful Gezi Park protests and paint an image that all protesters are at fault. Turkey
Only Politics Can Save Egypt's Economy Solving Egypt’s economic woes is a non-starter until there is political stability. Egypt
The Myth of One-State Alternative To the Two-State Solution The alternative to the two-state solution is more conflict, not a binational single state. Palestine
Iraqi Government Takes On Illiteracy With rising illiteracy rates across the country, particularly in rural areas, the Iraqi government has launched initiatives to boost literacy. Iraq
The Only Win-Win For Erdogan and Turkey Prime Minister Erdogan can achieve his favorite win-win equation only if he takes a step back and avoids escalation Turkey
Iran Focused on Elections, Syria, Not Iraq Baghdad has some breathing room as Iran has been preoccupied with elections and the war in Syria. Iraq
