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
The Extent and Limits Of Qatar-Hamas Ties Qatar and Hamas ties fluctuate between strategy and tactics. Qatar
Bombings Lead to Anger, Questions Over Turkey’s Syria Policy Many Turks are wondering how their nation's Syrian policy can be a success when it has started costing innocent Turkish lives. Syria
Military Veterans Form Party Calling For Morsi to Step Down A new political party, The Egyptian Will, includes former military officers who are seeking Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s removal from office. Egypt
Emerging Lebanese Pop Musicians Defy 'Habibi' Songs A new generation of musicians like Mike Massy is openly challenging the “plastic-surgery obsession and glam life” of the country’s thriving pop scene with their lyrics and performances. Lebanon
Court Case Investigates Israel's Use of Phosphorus in Gaza A petition brought by human rights organizations to the Supreme Court has drawn attention to allegations of the IDF using phosphorus bombs during Operation Cast Lead. Palestine
Bombing Exposes Divide In Turkish Politics Tensions in Reyhanli mirror Turkish Alevis' frustrations over their unmet demands for recognition. Syria
Can the Israeli Defense Budget Be Cut In Half? A veteran Israeli Defense Forces general claims the threats to Israel today do not require a massive military or huge air force. Egypt
Algeria: New Draft Law to Govern Religious Institutions A new draft law in Algeria is to bring the country’s religious institutions under the aegis of a single legal body. Originals
Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Iran Supplies All Weapons in Gaza The final article in a four-part series examines the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement’s relationship with Iran and other regional parties. Palestine
Sudan Nile Dam Threatens To Drown Nubian Villages The Nubian community is persisting with its fight to stop the Sudanese government from building the Kajbar Dam, which they say will drown their villages. Sudan
Syrian Parties Respond to US-Russia Conference Proposal Syrian parties consider their participation in the conference proposed by the United States and Russia. Lebanon
