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
Why region should prepare for long Saudi-Iranian confrontation Despite the efforts of smaller players such as Kuwait and Oman to defuse tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, there is little on the horizon suggesting an end to Riyadh’s determination to directly confront Tehran. Legacy: Gulf
Is conservative Iranian candidate reviving Ahmadinejad’s Cabinet? Ebrahim Raisi is increasingly leaning on officials from former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency. Iran
Erdogan offers 'condolences' during Armenian genocide events Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message of support to an Armenian genocide commemoration in Istanbul in a radical departure from previous government policy. Turkey
Will Riyadh’s new DC ambassador draw US deeper into Yemen war? While the new Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khaled bin Salman, wants to convince the Trump administration to get more involved in the war in Yemen, history may deter the US administration. Saudi Arabia
How journalism became a crime in Turkey The state's indictment against executives and journalists of Turkey’s Cumhuriyet daily constitutes an unprecedented legal scandal, indicating that criticism of the government is now considered a crime. Turkey
After seven-year absence, Will Egypt return to Nile Basin Initiative? Egypt is seeking to return to the Nile Basin Initiative to secure its water interests, but it seems that it is facing obstacles. Egypt
Complex deal frees kidnapped Qatari royals, two Saudis Various versions of a recent hostage deal are circulating that include, potentially, political motivations, millions of dollars in ransom, exchanged military prisoners and relocated civilians. Saudi Arabia
Can Sisi protect Egypt's endangered Christians? Terrorist attacks targeting Egypt’s Copts have raised questions about the regime’s ability to safeguard them and whether President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be able to sustain their support. Egypt
The real reason behind Netanyahu's shameful silence It took Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu four days to apologize to bereaved families over insults by Likud Knesset members. Israel
Journalists concerned with formation of Egypt's National Media Council The National Media Council was formed without including any opposition figures, which raised concern over the freedom of the media and press under Egypt’s renewed state of emergency. Egypt
Hamas loses out as Palestinian hunger strike benefits Fatah Hamas prisoners have chosen not to join the hunger strike led by the currently imprisoned PLO leader Marwan Barghouti, making both the PLO and Barghouti look good. Palestine
Beirut's heritage buildings threatened by urbanization Activists in Lebanon are demanding new laws to preserve heritage buildings, as chaotic urban planning and archaic laws are leading to the disappearance of Beirut’s oldest houses. Lebanon
