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
Lebanon's green turtles threatened by new resort The Orange House Project, an environmental NGO, has been trying to ensure that turtles reach the sea after their eggs are hatched, but its job gets more difficult every year. Lebanon
How the Saudis help Netanyahu in his pre-election campaign Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that by boasting about ties with Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, he can distance the conflict with the Palestinians from the election agenda. Saudi Arabia
Al-Azhar works to end blood feuds in Egypt Egypt's top religious institution Al-Azhar is stepping up efforts to stop traditionally long-lasting feuds via local councils and reaching out to the new generation to end the practice. Egypt
Will Arab voters return to Israel’s Labor Party? Israeli Labor seniors believe that many Arab voters have given up on the Arab parties and are searching for a political home that will advance their needs. Israel
Geopolitics delay action while climate change threatens to parch Mideast The Middle East and North Africa region faces serious water risks, but experts say the collective action needed to address the problem is still far off. Oman
Lacrosse is taking Israel by storm Israel's women's national lacrosse team, founded eight years ago, has already left its mark on international competitions by beating countries with long history of lacrosse. Israel
Deciphering cryptic safe-zone deal between Turkey, US Details are emerging of a safe-zone road map between the United States and Turkey in Syria. Syria
As US pressure increases on Iran-backed militias, they turn to Iran Iran-backed PMU factions are under intense pressure from the Iraqi government and the public, leading them to Iran. Iraq
Environmental problems provoke protests on all fronts in Turkey The Justice and Development Party government’s policy of ignoring environmental concerns cause tensions in Turkey. Turkey
Rebuking Trump, French FM defends Iran mediation efforts French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian directly rebukes Trump and insists France will continue "mediation efforts" with Iran "to avert a wider conflict." United States
Army failure to prepare training could impact North Africa efforts The Pentagon failed to properly prepare US Army troops in Africa to train foreign partner forces, a declassified inspector general investigation has found. North Africa
Why Egypt matters — maybe more than ever The US-Egyptian partnership deepens in Sinai, but human rights issues won’t go away. Palestine
