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
Egyptians revive Pharaonic beauty, health secrets Ancient Egyptian remedies and practices are making a comeback in the form of natural beauty products and pharaonic medicine. Egypt
Outraged over mother’s murder, Turkish women demand protection A brutal video of a mother’s last moments has reignited calls to better implement laws designed to prevent domestic violence in Turkey. Turkey
Ankara’s economic measures risk scaring off foreign banks Foreign-capital banks operating in Turkey are growing uneasy over economic measures aimed at pushing lenders to toe the line with government policies. Turkey
Rouhani defends Zarif’s G-7 appearance Conservative Iranian media outlets found much to criticize in Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s surprise arrival at the G-7 meeting, but President Hassan Rouhani is standing by the move. United States
Israel 2019: There is still hope for coexistence In stark contrast to the racist performances of two of Rabbi Kahane’s top disciples, who were disqualified from running for the Knesset, the success of a joint performance by Jews and Arabs singing of peace and equality stands out. Israel
Who benefits in Israel from increasing security tension? Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of the Blue and White party, Benny Gantz, both are gaining from increased security tensions. Israel
Gaza’s Islamic Jihad openly at the service of Iran Hamas no longer tries to conceal the growing involvement of Iran in Gaza through its proxy Islamic Jihad. Palestine
Egypt's new NGO law: Better, or ‘repackaged’ tyranny? A law governing Egypt's civil society groups underwent numerous amendments before going into effect this month, but is still generating heated debate over its supposed benefits. Egypt
Will Jordanian prisoners in Israel complete sentences at home? Questions arise as to whether Israel will send Jordanian prisoners to complete their prison sentences in their country, in an attempt to avoid releasing them in a possible prisoner exchange. Palestine
Hunt for Iraqi IS leaders continues amid heightened secrecy The Islamic State has employed higher levels of secrecy about its commanders since 2018, leading to greater confusion about its hierarchy. The search nevertheless continues for its commanders, most of whom are believed to be of Iraqi origin but are currently in Syria. Iraq
Turkish defense minister claims pivotal role in Syria Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has gotten deeply involved in tactical and operational matters and anxiety is growing in the Turkish military and the ruling party that Akar is taking the reins in Syria. Syria
Egypt seeks to increase exports to Africa Despite figures indicating an increase in the Egyptian exports to Africa, there still seem to be several obstacles facing Egyptian exports to the continent. Egypt
