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
Businesspeople intervene in bitter ties between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan Turkish businesspeople have launched a campaign to restore ties between Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government, which were hit hard last year after Kurdistan's independence referendum. Iraq
Turkish doctors say hospital violence out of control Turkey's health care workers have long asked for government action to curb the verbal and physical assaults they too often face at work, but the government’s latest bill does little to help them. Turkey
Jordan, Syria make headway in resuming normal ties The Syrian and Jordanian governments appear to be moving forward with normalizing relations, with the resumption of official visits and talk of cooperation. Jordan
Baghdad policewomen's roles expand as they rise in ranks As more women join Iraqi police forces and become more visible on the streets, they believe the public — and their colleagues — will become more accepting. Iraq
Likud party hostage in Netanyahu’s hands Even after the publication of police recommendations to indict him, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not consult with his party seniors, nor did he involve them in his intentions. Israel
Palestinians pay giant homage to keffiyeh The keffiyeh has long been a symbol of Palestinian nationalism, and the largest keffiyeh in history is set to break a record next year. Palestine
Can Turkish psychedelic music go global? Meet the young trendsetters spreading the word about a rich and original period of Turkish music: Turkish rock from the 1960s and 1970s. Turkey
Israeli bill to end civil administration part of annexation scheme A proposed bill would close the Israel's civil administration in a bid to advance the gradual annexation of the West Bank. Palestine
Why boycotting Israel won’t end the occupation The BDS movement proudly presents all of its "achievements" in the last year, yet all of these campaigns did little to advance the end of the conflict and the occupation. Palestine
US Syria envoy: Let's pull the plug on Russia-led talks US Syria envoy James Jeffrey would like incoming UN Syria envoy Geir Pederson to have a clear path for negotiating a solution for Syria. Syria
Last Greeks of Alexandria struggle to keep their community alive The Greek community of Alexandria long considered itself one of the main actors in the building of modern Egypt, but with their number dwindled to fewer than 1,000, they are now organizing to deepen and expand existing roots by connecting more with local non-Greek Alexandrians. Egypt
