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 Egypt's rappers ever receive rave reviews? Aly Soliman, an Egyptian rapper, seems to have set his sights on the 2020 Grammy Awards, but his country is simply not keen on this music genre. Egypt
Turkey’s repression of media turns violent In the wake of a brutal attack on a Turkish journalist, few believe the official story of a traffic altercation as political violence ravages the country. Turkey
Israeli security: Unrest, despair increasing in West Bank Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot warns that sanctions and despair may soon generate an outburst of violence in the West Bank. Palestine
Can Golan Heights' vultures be saved? Faced with poisoning by cattle breeders, the vultures of the Golan Heights are practically extinct, with only five still alive. Israel
Iran: UAE sabotage incident should be no excuse for US ‘adventurism’ Iran has dismissed President Donald Trump’s offer to talk on the phone, saying if it was genuine, he would have stuck to the nuclear deal. United States
Two heads pull Israel’s Blue and White in opposite directions Unlike Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, his colleague Yair Lapid has no intention of keeping low profile. Israel
Netanyahu’s conflict of interest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s associates are negotiating the composition of the next government, yet they are not hesitating to demand that the future coalition partners support legislation on immunity. Israel
Yazidis have 'protectors' in Iraq, but question safety Iraq's Yazidi ethno-religious minority is safe from the Islamic State, but now faces infighting among protective forces seeking dominance in Sinjar. Iraq
Will killing of Hamas cadre set off chain of assassinations? Several reports suggest that Israel’s assassination of Hamed al-Khudari, a Hamas cadre accused of funneling funds to the movement, could be the first in a chain of assassinations of Hamas leaders. Palestine
NGO offers Lebanon taste of lionfish in effort to contain invasive species A Lebanese group is promoting the lionfish, a threat to the Mediterranean Sea ecosystem, as a tasty and profitable fishery. Lebanon
New Palestinian party has ties to Israel, seeks PLO reform President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party promptly attacked the newly launched Reform and Development Party in the West Bank and warned Palestinians to have nothing to do with it. Palestine
Egyptian tattoo artist draws flowers, butterflies to hide burns Shenouda Abdel Malak draws free tattoos on burn victims as part of a project called "Love Yourself." Egypt
