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
Palestinian farmers check out seeds from West Bank library Vivien Sansour discovered the need to protect Palestinian seeds while looking for red carrots six years ago and opened a seed library in Beit Sahour; the library will soon move its permanent headquarters to Battir. Palestine
Israel takes another step toward Judaizing Jerusalem The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates denounced the Israeli government’s approval to build a cable car connecting the Old City of Jerusalem, saying that Israel seeks to Judaize the city. Palestine
Algeria gambles on old captain to chart new waters The announcement that Algeria’s ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is running for a fifth term in the country’s elections raised questions about Algerians’ readiness to endorse the man who has played a prominent role in ending the civil war. Algeria
Yazidis divided over selection of new leader After the death of the spiritual leader of the Yazidi sect in Iraq and the world, differences come up over the selection of his successor. Iraq
Meet the women in Lebanon’s government All eyes are on the four women appointed to Cabinet positions in Lebanon's new government, a record high in the country plagued by economic and other longstanding issues. Lebanon
US fears aid cuts to PA will undermine security of Israel There are reports that Israel and the United States are working to resume aid to Palestinian security agencies as they fear the funding cuts might affect security coordination. Palestine
How US plan for Mideast could shape next Israeli government US President Donald Trump plans to present his "deal of the century" after the Israeli elections but before a new government is formed, when it could affect the new coalition's formation. Palestine
Israeli city breaks with status quo on the Sabbath An initiative by the mayor of Tiberias for the municipality to help provide public transportation on the Sabbath has caused the issue of the social status quo to the forefront of public discussion. Israel
House votes to end US role in Yemen war despite Trump veto threat The House voted Wednesday to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Saudi Arabia
Trump allies hijack Warsaw summit with calls for Iran war, regime change Giuliani's meeting with Iranian opposition group and Israeli prime minister's tweet about war with Iran gets conference on promoting peace in the Middle East off to problematic start. Yemen
Tunisian man jailed for reporting rape highlights LGBT struggles After reporting his rape this past January, a Tunisian man was jailed and sentenced to six months in prison, sparking anger in the LGBT community. Tunisia
Trump blows off congressionally mandated Yemen certification The Donald Trump administration does not plan to provide Congress with a certification allowing US involvement in Yemen, barring the Pentagon from providing refueling again. Saudi Arabia
