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
Talk of PLO restructuring emerges ahead of top Palestinian council meeting The PLO is set to ax staff and departments with duplicates in the Palestinian government, but this economic measure seems to carry a political message. Palestine
Turkey's top Kurdish politician to run for president from behind bars Turkish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party is nominating its jailed former leader Selahattin Demirtas as its candidate in the upcoming snap elections. Turkey
Iran's TV censors draw ridicule, protests The Iranian state broadcaster’s censorship style reached new heights of ridicule and criticism when it blurred an Italian soccer team's logo. Iran
Can new startup law revitalize Tunisia’s economy? Tunisia’s startup scene has grown in the past several years, but some question whether a new law aimed at encouraging entrepreneurs can have a significant impact amid numerous economic woes. Tunisia
Iran lashes out at US-French dealmaking Iran lashes out at Trump and Macron’s floating of the idea of a “new deal” that will address the future of the Iranian nuclear program and other issues. United States
Netanyahu on collision course with US Jews over conversion to Judaism A special commission is proposing to limit the Israeli Chief Rabbinate’s involvement in conversion to Judaism, establishing a special authority for this issue. Israel
Egypt enraged at Netanyahu over Gaza Egypt blames Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for sparking the latest escalation on the Gaza border by sabotaging Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Palestine
Egypt's extended state of emergency raises eyebrows, questions Experts examine whether Egypt's repeated renewal of a state of emergency is legal, or even necessary. Egypt
Secrecy behind Palestinian cybercrimes law stirs suspicion Civil society organizations are wondering why the government will not show them the final changes to a draft cybercrimes law expected to be ratified within days. Palestine
Ankara backtracks on freedom to commemorate Armenian murders The 2018 commemoration of the Armenian massacres was memorable for the ban on using the word "genocide" and a big drop in attendance. Turkey
Israel's activists turn food waste into tasty meals With 33% of all food produced annually in Israel ending up as waste, a number of organizations and volunteers are determined to repurpose it to feed the needy. Israel
Egyptian companies pledge to stand behind Sisi’s promises to the disabled The Egyptian government and the private sector are working to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Egypt
