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
Bahrain ducks congressional scrutiny over Yemen war Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had hoped to send a message to the Saudi coalition in Yemen by holding an arms sale to Bahrain hostage. It didn’t work. Saudi Arabia
Iranian actors take center stage against US sanctions Iranian artists, particularly those in the film industry, have launched two separate campaigns against the US sanctions, saying the measures will hit the vulnerable and sick. Iran
Iraqi artists, volunteers seek to restore morale in Mosul Singers, poets and volunteers try to revive pluralism in Mosul but old wounds, particularly between different religious groups, linger on. Iraq
Palestinian Museum revives solidarity posters with new workshop, exhibit The Palestinian Museum hosted a workshop for young artists interested in creating the "Palestinian posters" popular in recent decades, lending new life to the compelling images and deep symbolism of the art form. Palestine
Riyadh seeks death penalties in Khashoggi killing as US sanctions Saudis Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor has announced that he will seek the death penalty for five Saudi officials arrested in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition struggles to be heard Two years after its leader was jailed, the Peoples' Democratic Party is still in parliament, but continues to face a crackdown that a European Parliament report included as a reason to halt EU membership talks with Turkey. Turkey
Will Israeli defense minister's exit impact Russia-Israel cooperation on Syria? The resignation of Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has triggered discussion in Russian circles about whether the departure of a man deemed a staunch advocate for a "special relationship" with Moscow will affect Benjamin Netanyahu's cooperation with Vladimir Putin on Syria. Israel
Why Syrian Armenians are avoiding Turkey While most Syrian ethnic groups, including Kurds, Turkmens, and Syriac Christians, seek refuge in Turkey, Syrian Armenians do not. Syria
Who scored when Iran hand-selected women for historic soccer audience? For some Iranians, the visible female audience at a recent soccer match at Tehran's Azadi stadium was a meaningful win in a long war over allowing women to attend public soccer matches, but others are frustrated at what they consider a publicity stunt. Iran
