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
Can Egypt help end Tripoli offensive? The Libyan National Forces Alliance aligned with military commander Khalifa Hifter met with officials in Cairo to gather support for Hifter’s offensive in Tripoli. Egypt
Palestine aims to triple number of Russian tourists Palestinians aim to lure more Russian tourists by providing new tourism infrastructure, ecotourism and historic Orthodox churches. Palestine
Cairo to build new site for culture but will artists and fans come? Egypt has announced that it will build a state-of-the-art culture city by mid-2022, but it remains unclear whether it would attract artists and art lovers. Egypt
With 'Chernobyl,' Iranians talk other people's nuclear problems, for a change The miniseries “Chernobyl” is a big hit in Iran and has sparked a debate between conservative and Reformist media about the alleged politics and messaging behind the production. Russia
Fact-checking initiative takes on Egypt's rumor mills and fake news “Da Begad?” and other initiatives have emerged in the Arab world to counter the daily rumors, fake news and manipulated images on social media and elsewhere online. Egypt
Who will lead the next generation of Israel’s Labor? The battle heating up between Itzik Shmuli and Stav Shaffir not only has to bear on the upcoming primary to lead Labor, but also on the question of who will lead the next generation of the party. Israel
As Istanbul celebrates, Erdogan-watchers hold breath Turkey's president has so far reacted calmly to his party's second and decisive defeat in the Istanbul mayoral vote, but this hopeful moment could presage a darker future. Turkey
Trump pitches Iran strike reversal to GOP ‘hawks’ and ‘doves’ President Donald Trump said on Saturday his decision to wave off a retaliatory strike on Iran for the downing of an American drone was being celebrated both by allies and critics as a wise move to stave off overextending the US military. United States
Iran shrugs off new sanctions Iranian officials said they will continue to reduce their nuclear commitments under the JCPOA. United States
Will drone downing lead to Iran-US negotiations? Although some in Tehran see a prime opportunity for talks, major obstacles still stand in the way. United States
Palestinians expect little from Bahrain summit Many analysts are skeptical about the economic plan for the West Bank and Gaza that the US administration has prepared for this week's workshop in Bahrain. Bahrain
