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 students stripped of US scholarships Palestinian students studying abroad on US-sponsored scholarships have found themselves in limbo after the Palestinian Authority declined further US assistance following enactment of the US Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act. Palestine
Israeli season of political mergers in full speed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for mergers between small parties, including the ultra-Orthodox parties, to prevent a loss of votes for the right-wing bloc. Israel
Will Sisi run for third term? Egypt is seemingly heading toward amending Article 140 of the constitution, as well as others, which would allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to run for one or even two consecutive terms of six years each. Egypt
Ankara imam offers Turkey’s only English sermons Turkish imam Mehmet Akif Koc has been giving sermons in English for the past five years. Turkey
Macron addresses Egypt’s human rights record during trip to Cairo During his visit to Cairo, French President Emmanuel Macron agreed with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on several regional issues while highlighting France's view of Egypt’s human rights record. Egypt
Israel’s slackening in Gaza will escalate marches of return After Hamas rejected the transfer of a Qatari grant, protesters threatened to intensify the marches along the Gaza-Israel border to pressure Israel to abide by the truce agreement. Palestine
'The Guest' gets cold shoulder from Egyptian Islamic scholars Egyptian religious scholars want “The Guest,” an award-winning film, banned. Egypt
Israeli-Arab parties in trouble The withdrawal of Knesset member Ahmad Tibi from the Arab Joint List is confronting the already complicated alliance of factions with great difficulties. Palestine
Trump: Israel’s friend in words, not in deeds US President Donald Trump's isolationist policies in Syria and Afghanistan, coupled with placating gestures toward the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, rather than a push for peace with the Palestinians, are endangering Israel’s security. Israel
In Moscow, Iraqi foreign minister talks 'strategic cooperation' with Russia As more regional and global actors send their emissaries to Baghdad, Russia seeks to capitalize on the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations with Iraq. Legacy: Gulf
Can Egypt’s new airport revive country’s ailing tourism sector? Egypt opened a new international airport in Giza governorate as part of the government’s efforts to boost the tourism sector that suffered a major setback following the January 25 Revolution. Egypt
Kurdish lobby struggles to slow US pullout from Syria An upstart Syrian Kurdish delegation urging the Donald Trump administration to slow the Pentagon pullout from Syria faces significant hurdles to get its message in front of a wary US administration. Syria
