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
Will Adana accord take Erdogan to Damascus? Drawing on a controversial 1998 accord between Ankara and Damascus, Russia wants to get Turkey on board with its game plans for Syria and beyond, including energy in the eastern Mediterranean. Syria
Tunisia's new low-profile president defies definition Tunisians are waiting to learn more about the political and intellectual identity of their new president, Kais Saied. Tunisia
Can Egypt's newest search engine root out extremism? Egypt's Islamic authority Dar al-Ifta has launched a search engine to track extremist content in the fight against terrorism and Islamophobia, but critics believe much more is needed. Egypt
Lebanon protests stir clash of priorities between Hezbollah and its base Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has told his followers not to join the protests, causing consternation among many of his Shiite followers who have been demonstrating against the Lebanese government. Lebanon
Islamic State leader dead in US raid Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed during a raid in northwestern Syria, says President Donald Trump. Iraq
New Iraqi board games revisit cultural heritage, create common ground Iraqis have played board games for millennia, and a new generation of them are creating new ones steeped in Iraqi history with the hope of getting more of them to put down their screens and meet other players face to face. Iraq
Art, urban planning rejuvenates Central Anatolian city Eskisehir combines restored Ottoman-era homes with new and hip museums, bars and galleries, attracting people from all over Turkey. Turkey
Amid Lebanon’s ongoing protests, army finds itself caught in the middle The Lebanese Armed Forces have clashed in several areas in Lebanon with protesters who have been blocking roads and highways. Lebanon
Sarraj visit to Sochi exposes rival Russian factions on Libya policy The visit of Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj to Sochi opens some engagement opportunities between Moscow and Tripoli but also exposes challenges. Libya
Palestinians seek economic disengagement through West Bank port Palestinian traders demand the establishment of a land port in Palestinian territories without Israeli conditions. Palestine
How Lebanon is setting the standard for a new social contract in the Middle East Sectarianism gives way to economics and governance. Lebanon
Sanctions experts say new US Treasury measure could inhibit humanitarian trade with Iran The US Treasury's new Iran "humanitarian" mechanism is seen by experts as a tool to inform new sanctions on the country. United States
