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
China set to fill vacuum left by French carmakers exiting Iran The exit of French automakers from Iran is leaving a vacuum that appears set to be filled by Chinese auto manufacturers. Iran
Following deals with Russia, Turkey now expands military cooperation with China Both China and Turkey are determined to develop their cooperation in the defense and security sectors. Turkey
Can songs help to halt female genital mutilation, early marriage in Egypt? In a new project, the UNFPA in Egypt is using popular singers and youth bands to create awareness of gender inequality and family planning. Egypt
How Trump's strong support for Israel harms pro-settler party The settler-friendly US administration is stealing away the agenda of the Israeli national-religious party and depriving it of an important enemy. Palestine
Iraq's Basra plans dam on vital river After angry demonstrations against the government in Basra about the lack of potable water, the southern Iraqi province is preparing to tackle the problem by building a dam on the Shatt al-Arab River. Iraq
Egyptian forum dreams up ways to attract expat money A recent forum for Egyptian expatriates produced various ideas on how to get emigrants to invest in their home country. Egypt
Demands rise for Arab Knesset members to resign in wake of Nationality Law The Israeli Knesset may be witnessing the highest number of resignations since its creation in light of laws discriminating against Israel’s Arab population, the latest being the Jewish nation-state law. Israel
Will canceled camps mean a deadly summer for Gaza's children? As the Great Return March enters its 18th week, the killing of Majdi al-Satari, 12, by an Israeli sniper at the Gaza-Israel border highlights the lack of summer camps this year to keep children busy elsewhere. Palestine
Palestinian girls nurture 'Flower' magazine behind bars Two years ago, a small group of teenage Palestinian girls created a secret magazine inside their Israeli prison. Now, they hope to revive it. Palestine
Gaza cannot wait for a miracle The crisis in Gaza leaves no time to dream of grandiose solutions, such as an artificial island or desalination plants, and only immediately allowing thousands of Gazans to work in Israel can alleviate the pressure. Palestine
US reimposes sanctions as Iran deal crumbles With the Donald Trump administration set to reimpose Iran sanctions after exiting the nuclear deal, it’s looking less and less likely the rest of the world can salvage the accord. United States
US defense bill could impact arms exports to Middle East This year’s US defense authorization bill calls for reforming America’s high-tech exports even as weapons sales to the region boom. Saudi Arabia
