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
Reports: Iran to adopt countermeasures as US revokes sanctions waivers Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will reportedly announce countermeasures to the US exit from the JCPOA and its reimposition of sanctions. United States
Lebanese LGBT salon brings out beauty in everyone Out, Lebanon's first beauty salon catering to members of the LGBT community, was founded as a place where patrons can feel at home, not simply tolerated. Lebanon
Turkey polishes Iraqi relations, champions Turkmen in politics The Turkish foreign minister's recent visit to Baghdad and Erbil included a push for appointing Turkmens to Cabinet positions in Iraq. Iraq
Israel wants to strengthen, annex West Bank settlements Israel will offer investors grants to build hotels in West Bank settlements, which reflects Israel’s intention to annex more parts of the West Bank. Palestine
Algeria’s protesters vie for uncertain legacy Although weekslong protests in Algeria managed to dislodge the president and regime-linked figures, many challenges lie ahead still. Algeria
Natural history, conservation and politics meet in West Bank museum The Palestine Museum of Natural History and the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability bring Israeli and Palestinians together to preserve knowledge about the ecology, environment and cultivation of Palestine. Palestine
Woman heads Palestinian Health Ministry for the first time Only three women have been appointed to ministerial positions in the new Palestinian government, out of 18 ministries in total, raising the ire of activists. Palestine
Different faiths, shared sites explored in Istanbul An exhibition in Istanbul sheds light on religious sites and pilgrimages sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews alike, a phenomenon that is not widely known but is quite common in the Mediterranean region. Israel
What Russia makes of Hifter's offensive on Tripoli Russia has positioned itself as an impartial middleman in the Libyan crisis, but there's a fine blueprint that defines this position. United Arab Emirates
Kushner rejects calls to delay release of Mideast peace plan Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, said Thursday the Trump administration would issue its Middle East peace plan, though several regional experts have argued that the plan's release would cause more harm. Palestine
Is Israel reconciled to Assad's staying power? Turkish defense minister says the United States has "moved closer to our position" on Syria safe zone. Syria
