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
Is Egypt’s strategic financial plan overly ambitious? The Egyptian Ministry of Finance has an ambitious strategy for the next three years and the International Monetary Fund says Egypt is capable of achieving greater strategic objectives, but some economists on the ground have their worries. Egypt
Egypt’s Red Sea governorate bans single-use plastics to protect marine, human life The Red Sea governorate will ban the single use of plastic products starting in June, in a bid to reduce pollution that is threatening its biodiversity, which is the main touristic attraction of the area. Egypt
Israeli water pipeline threatens Palestinian agricultural lands The residents of Qalqilya governorate in the West Bank are seeking to block construction of a water pipeline to supply Israeli settlements. Palestine
Likud's election day dirty tricks The day after Knesset elections, a public relations firm that worked for the Likud revealed the party's “secret plan” to deter Israeli Arabs from voting. Israel
Palestine theater pays homage to country's pioneer journalist A new play, "The Owner of Al-Karmil," pays homage to the man who established Palestine's first major newspaper and faced strong pressures at first from the Ottoman Empire and then from Britain, which subjected his co-editor wife to administrative detention. Palestine
Jordanians questioning the value of hosting World Economic Forum Earlier this month, Jordan hosted the World Economic Forum for the 10th time, but a number of analysts charge that the gatherings have not produced any tangible economic results for the kingdom. Jordan
Why Netanyahu won big outside of Israel’s major cities The election results showed clearly that, contrary to the Likud and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Blue and White party does not have a foothold in Israel’s outlying towns. Israel
Is Blue and White strong enough for life in opposition? The election results have relegated the Blue and White Party, a team created solely to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to the opposition benches. Israel
Congress adds new irritant in US-Turkey relations with pro-Cyprus push Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee want to lift the arms sale ban on the disputed island. Turkey
Fall of Iran’s former ally in Sudan sparks online reactions Iranian journalists and social media users closely watch events in Sudan, as the former ally transitions to a new era. Iran
Zarif reshuffles key envoys in push for active diplomacy In an effort seemingly meant to step up diplomacy, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has reshuffled key ambassadors, signaling plans for a more active engagement with the world. Iran
How the Kurdish factor had a boomerang effect in Erdogan's election defeat Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party played a key role in Erdogan’s defeats in big cities in the local polls, managing to get its voters to back mayoral candidates from the main opposition bloc while sitting out the races. Turkey
