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
New program pushes role for Egyptian women in sustainable energy An international bank is working to increase the presence of Egyptian women in the field of green energy. Egypt
Israeli right launches full-scale assault on High Court The decision by the Supreme Court to bar far-right activist Michael Ben Ari from running for the Knesset generated great rage within the Israeli right-wing camp. Israel
Last week’s rocket fire on Tel Aviv reflects schism within Hamas To avoid escalation ahead of the April elections and the Eurovision contest, Israel accepted Hamas’ explanation over the rocket fire on Tel Aviv last week. Palestine
Why is Ukraine detaining tourists from Israel? In an attempt to fight migrant labor and sex trafficking, Israel is preventing the entry of thousands of Ukrainian citizens every year. Israel
Iran's state TV woos audiences with American-style shows Iranian versions of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and "America's Got Talent" are now on state TV, but seem to draw more criticism than ratings. Iran
Netanyahu’s scare tactics sideline economic failures Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demagogic discourse on security is a distraction from the weakening Israeli economy, congestion on dangerous roads and a declining health care system. Israel
Erdogan took Christchurch shooting to campaign trail Erdogan’s campaign uses brutal images at election rallies of the New Zealand terrorist’s footage and hateful rhetoric, deepening the rift within Turkish society and distancing Turkey further from the West. Turkey
Traditional Palestinian tile craft recedes as demand drops Brightly colored Shami tiles have long defined the vibrant architecture of Palestine and beyond, but cheaper alternatives mean demand has dwindled and the last remaining factory is a much quieter place these days. Palestine
All eyes on Turkey's 3 biggest cities as local elections approach Turks suffering under 20% inflation and 13.5% unemployment may punish President Erdogan's coalition in March 31 elections in the nation's three largest cities. Turkey
Rouhani’s Iraq visit raises important questions for Israel Does Israel see Rouhani's visit to Iraq as strengthening his hand in Iran? One answer could be that while Rouhani was in Baghdad, hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi was elected deputy chief of the Assembly of Experts. Iraq
Russia seeks to hold reluctant Turkey accountable in Syria Turkey once again finds itself in the middle in the Syrian crisis, trying to reassure the opposition groups it supports while keeping Russia happy. Syria
