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 inaugurates Istanbul’s new airport as 'monument to victory' The airport is set to eventually become the world’s biggest, making Turkey a global transportation hub, but critics lament the environmental and economic costs as well as the plight of the laborers who built it. Turkey
Woman's daring face-off with police van reignites Iran hijab debate Footage of a police van almost running over a woman has gone viral as Iranians speak out in in support of hijab protesters and against the controversial morality police. Iran
Iraqi border city eyes IS advance amid dust storms Iraqi security forces on Iraq's border with Syria have been placed on a higher level of alert amid an Islamic State advance on the Syrian side of the border. Iraq
Israel to improve bank transactions for its Palestinian workers The governor of the Palestinian Monetary Authority, Azzam al-Shawa, announced an agreement with the Bank of Israel on a new mechanism creating an Israeli government body to handle Palestinian bank transactions. Palestine
Rouhani finally engages with Reformists, but some see too little, too late While Rouhani’s long overdue meeting with Reformists is a step toward cooperation, they're right to be wary of his friendly gesture. Iran
Turkey, Russia seek European input on Syria settlement The heads of four nations gathered in Istanbul last week, all seeking to promote their countries' own national interests in Syria. But it's unclear if they'll eventually be able to negotiate a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis that Damascus will accept. Syria
Manial Palace poised to open full collection Manial Palace, built by Prince Tewfik on an island in the Nile, houses an eclectic collection of furniture and other decorative arts. Egypt
Israeli artists campaign against 'Loyalty in Culture' law Stars of the Israeli entertainment industry prefer not to confront powerful Culture Minister Miri Regev on the "Loyalty in Culture" law, designed to defund cultural institutions "undermining the state’s values and symbols." Israel
Turkey raises stakes in Syria with shelling of Kurdish targets The Turkish military has fired on Syrian Kurdish positions east of the Euphrates River for the first time in a move that could heighten tensions with the United States. Syria
Kurdish film festival screens, then withdraws, Israeli movie Israeli filmmakers were surprised to learn that their film had been selected to be shown at the Duhok International Film Festival, only to be notified later that it was removed from the competition after being screened. Iraq
Video: Egypt's alabaster industry shattered Among the casualties of Egypt's declining tourism are the alabaster sculptures that remain unsold on the shelves. Egypt
Iranian grand ayatollah faces threats for meeting with Reformists Iran’s seminary and social media have been stunned by a letter threatening a grand ayatollah over his personal meetings. Iran
